HARRISBURG, Pa.
-- A planned rewrite of a pending agency bonding law seems likely
to eliminate much, if not all, of the language that had triggered
retailers and tour operators opposition.
After a hearing
in May, Rep. Robert Godshall (R-Pa.), the bills sponsor and
chairman of the House Tourism and Recreational Development
Committee, made it clear he wants a compromise. Allen Taylor,
executive director for the committee, said he later asked ASTA and
other interested parties for comments on a revised
draft.
Several of the
most objectionable passages found in the original were eliminated
from the latest draft, as follows:
A requirement
that sellers of travel obtain a bond equal to 10% of the previous
years gross sales, with no maximum. (The draft contains a $25,000
cap.)
Language
requiring travel sellers to provide full refunds if travel is
canceled or not delivered by suppliers, without regard to their
ability to recover.
A rule
requiring agencies selling vacation packages to file descriptions
of packages and related promotional materials.
To contact
the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to Nadine Godwin
at [email protected].