Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today made the following statement after the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) released new data showing Minnesota added 8,400 jobs in May, with significant gains in sectors driven by tourism. Klobuchar is Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), the bicameral Congressional committee responsible for overseeing matters relating to the U.S. economy and recommending policies to move the economy forward. She also chairs the Senate Tourism Caucus, and has been a leader in helping to boost travel to the U.S as a way to drive economic growth.

“This report is good news for our state andmakes clear that Minnesota’s economy is continuing to recover, with tourism helping to lead the way,” said Klobuchar. “We still have more work to do and I will continue to work towards bipartisan solutions to boost tourism and make sure America maintains its competitive edge so we can keep our economy moving forward.”

During her time in the Senate Klobuchar has been a leader in efforts to boost the economy and promote job growth, and she has championed commonsense initiatives to increase America’s competitiveness in the global economy, including increasing tourism to the United States. Last year, Klobuchar and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), introduced legislation that was later signed into law  to eliminate redundant baggage screening for travelers arriving from airports that have established a preclearance agreement with the United States.  In addition, Klobuchar introduced the bipartisan Jobs Originated through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act with Senator Blunt and 20 other senators which would boost international tourism to the United States by expediting the processing of business and tourist visas, speeding up the time it takes to receive a visa interview, and exploring expanded visa operations in major tourism markets. Senator Klobuchar was also a leader in passing the Travel Promotion Act of 2010 into law, which would help attract help attract an estimated 1.6 million new international visitors and add $4 billion to the U.S. economy each year, at no cost to taxpayers. 

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