Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) will head a newly formed panel within the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that will oversee the tourism industry. 

The new panel, formally known as the Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export promotion, will have jurisdiction over the International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office, live entertainment, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and other tourism, trade and export-related matters within the Department of Commerce. 

The subcommittee will also oversee Brand USA, which markets tourism to the U.S. abroad.

Rosen’s move comes as Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) is poised to lead the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee during the current two-year legislative session.

In a video announcement released Friday, Rosen said her new post will allow her to push for support for the tourism industry, a vital component of Nevada's economy.

“Far too many Nevadans who have built careers in the travel, tourism, hospitality and live entertainment industries, well, they’re now out of work and our communities are hurting,” Rosen said. “Jumpstarting our tourism industry is going to require the full force of the United States government and I want you to know that help is on the way.” 

Tourism was among the industries hardest hit by the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 4,800 Nevadans and nearly 500,000 nation-wide, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. 

Nevada’s tourism economy accounts for one out of every three jobs in the state, supports $20 billion in wages and salaries each year and generates $75 billion of economic production annually – roughly 45 percent of the state’s aggregate output, according to the Nevada Resorts Association. 

In December, Nevada’s 9.2 percent unemployment rate was the second-highest in the nation. 

Rosen has served on the full commerce committee since she arrived in the Senate in 2019.