Shelley Berkley

Ms. BERKLEY

Ms. BERKLEY. And you can get a good deal right now.

Ms. BERKLEY. Did you say 7.5 million people?

Ms. BERKLEY. Interesting.

Ms. BERKLEY. My husband and I went to a Reno physicians' association meeting in Monterey, and it was an absolutely delightful place to have a convention.

Ms. BERKLEY. Exactly. Well, I think, if I'm hearing you correctly, you're saying that business travel is very much a part of the economy of the United States of America, and without it, we are going to have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people unemployed. Those are our fellow citizens.

Ms. BERKLEY. We could use some good mental health in Congress, that's for sure.

Ms. BERKLEY. Put me on.

Ms. BERKLEY. And I'm sure Florida is right behind us.

Ms. BERKLEY. Yes. Yes. We're practically giving away rooms in order to attract people to our community. I don't think the three of us, any of us, are suggesting that companies should be using taxpayers' dollars in order to fund business travel.

Ms. BERKLEY. Las Vegas can accommodate everyone from the Baptists-- because there are Baptist conventions in Las Vegas. I know that sounds unusual, but there are--to medical conventions, to dental conventions, as you said. We also are the site of some of the biggest conventions in the world--CES, the homebuilders, the shopping center convention every May. I mean these are huge conventions. Why do they come to Las Vegas? Why do they come to south Florida? Because we can accommodate this. We have got the best hotels. We have got the best transportation. We have got the best restaurants, the best shopping and the best facilities for conventions, large and small. For the American business community to be turning their backs on us, not only is it bad for our business; it is bad for theirs because, contrary to what a lot of people think, a lot of business gets done in those meetings. I know that the Congressman has got beautiful beaches, but that is an amenity that people take advantage of after they've done their business. Las Vegas has world-class entertainment and some other amenities as well. People don't concentrate on that. They're there to do business, and we make it possible for them in these business meetings to conduct serious business, and I am sure it's the same with your district as well.

Ms. BERKLEY. Every time I go--I've seen all of the Cirque du Soleils a number of times. Whenever we get company in town, we take them to the Cirque du Soleil. Although we have got so many--we have Cher, we have Bette Midler. You name it, we have got it in Vegas. But every time I go, I see something new. There is so much on that stage going on. Going once simply isn't enough. So I should invite you as my guest to come with your grandchildren. And I would be glad to host you.

Ms. BERKLEY. I would love to make two points, and it dovetails beautifully with what both of you are saying. I know you just mentioned that legislation that you're either introducing or thinking of introducing that would put some dollars into advertising the United States of America abroad so people will come and travel in the United States, which I think is a wonderful idea. And you're right, we're light years behind other countries in promoting our own. But there are smaller ones that I was wondering what you thought of. I tried to get in the stimulus package--and wasn't able to do so--but a $500 tax credit for business travel. If you're a business traveler and you want to bring your spouse, I think we should be--I think there should be a tax credit that will encourage men or women to take their spouses. It doubles the number of people that are coming to any one of our communities, and it also will help stimulate the economy and also keep families together. So I think that's wonderful. The other thing--and we call it the three Martini lunch--but the reality is it is so much more important and significant than that. I would love to see a 100 percent deductibility of meals tax. I am sure the same is happening in your towns as mine, the restaurant business is kaput. People aren't coming to the towns so obviously restaurant business is down. Wouldn't it be a good idea for a business to help stimulate business? Most small businesses don't have boardrooms. What they have is the back booth of the local deli. And if they could get a 100 percent deduction on their meals, I would think that would not only help them to do their business, but it would also help the restaurant business as well.

Ms. BERKLEY. Heaven knows I have tried. I am a member of the Ways and Means Committee, but I am going to keep pushing this because I can't think of anything more stimulative to the tourism business and the restaurant business. And I know Neil has been remarkable and, of course, Neil Abercrombie represents Hawaii. It has also been very hard hit, and he's down here every day fighting for the interests of his community, and, of course, Hawaii depends on tourists and business travelers.

Ms. BERKLEY. I am wearing roulette earrings right now. So I take this very seriously.

Ms. BERKLEY. Congressmen, I would go so far as to say it is patriotic to be traveling.

Ms. BERKLEY. I believe that the Congressman from Ohio, who is here for another Special Order, has moved to join us in conversation.

Ms. BERKLEY. We've been joined by one of our newest and finest Congressmen from the State of Florida (Mr. Grayson) who also represents a tourist-based economy in his district.

Ms. BERKLEY. Your health?

Ms. BERKLEY. When people come to Las Vegas, we don't want them sleeping.

Ms. BERKLEY. I have also been in your fair city, and when my kids were little, younger, we had wonderful family vacations in Orlando. It was quite a treat for us. So you do have a beautiful community and people should be flocking there. So we're discovering today that not only is this good for the economy, not only is tourism and business travel almost patriotic, but now it's also good for your health. So I thank you very much for adding that component to our discussion.

Ms. BERKLEY. Good. I hope you left a little money on the table.

Ms. BERKLEY. Congressman, I think we've had----

Ms. BERKLEY. I feel exactly the way you do, but I think it's more than just the media. I think that Members of Congress and the administration have also contributed to this feeling that maybe there's something wrong about traveling. But I think we've turned the corner, and it's becoming very obvious to me, especially in President Obama's latest comments about the importance of traveling and how much he appreciates the travel industry and how important business travel is. Members of Congress also appreciated it as well, and I'm really glad that you brought that up.

Ms. BERKLEY. It's as American as apple pie. Ball games, sharing them with your kids, with your spouse, I mean, what could be better? And if you could bring your whole business team with you, too, that's a wonderful way to bond and be more effective as a team. There was something you said earlier, but I wanted to share something very personal. You know, even though we're friends, and you know, we know each other here in Congress, sometimes we don't know about each other's personal background. But something that you said touched a chord with me because it seemed like you were talking about my own family. My parents were driving across country. Everything we owned was in a U-Haul hooked up to the back bumper of our car. And my father was a waiter when I was growing up. We lived in upstate New York. We drove across country because my dad had a letter of introduction to get a job in a restaurant in southern California. We stopped in Las Vegas for the night, and obviously we never left. And on a waiter's salary, my dad was a waiter at the old Sands Hotel which was very famous for the Rat Pack and just a very exciting time in Las Vegas' history. But on a waiter's salary, he was able to put a roof over our head, food on the table, clothes on our back, and two daughters through college and law school. That's not so bad on a waiter's salary. As a matter of fact, he's 84 years old now, still working, and very proud of his accomplishments. That's what the tourism industry and that's what business travel means to me. It uplifts families. It gives people jobs. They don't have to be lavish jobs. We're not talking about people that make millions of dollars. We're talking about people, middle-income families, that make enough money because they are part of the tourism industry, because they are part of the business travel industry, that they can support their families. And then, I'm a first generation college-goer. No one in my family ever went to college until I did, and it changes lives. And making sure you've got that job, that good job security, you have a healthy economy, that's what we're talking about. And business travel is so much a part of this country and so much a part of our economy.

Ms. BERKLEY. You know, I worked my way----