[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1579 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.1579
One Hundred Fourteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the fourth day of January, two thousand and sixteen
An Act
To enhance and integrate Native American tourism, empower Native
American communities, increase coordination and collaboration between
Federal tourism assets, and expand heritage and cultural tourism
opportunities in the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Native American Tourism and
Improving Visitor Experience Act'' or the ``NATIVE Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to enhance and integrate Native American tourism--
(A) to empower Native American communities; and
(B) to advance the National Travel and Tourism Strategy;
(2) to increase coordination and collaboration between Federal
tourism assets to support Native American tourism and bolster
recreational travel and tourism;
(3) to expand heritage and cultural tourism opportunities in
the United States to spur economic development, create jobs, and
increase tourism revenues;
(4) to enhance and improve self-determination and self-
governance capabilities in the Native American community and to
promote greater self-sufficiency;
(5) to encourage Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and
Native Hawaiian organizations to engage more fully in Native
American tourism activities to increase visitation to rural and
remote areas in the United States that are too difficult to access
or are unknown to domestic travelers and international tourists;
(6) to provide grants, loans, and technical assistance to
Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian
organizations that will--
(A) spur important infrastructure development;
(B) increase tourism capacity; and
(C) elevate living standards in Native American
communities; and
(7) to support the development of technologically innovative
projects that will incorporate recreational travel and tourism
information and data from Federal assets to improve the visitor
experience.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the term
in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the meaning
given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
(3) Native hawaiian organization.--The term ``Native Hawaiian
organization'' means a nonprofit organization--
(A) that serves the interests of Native Hawaiians;
(B) in which Native Hawaiians serve in substantive and
policymaking positions; and
(C) that is recognized for having expertise in Native
Hawaiian culture and heritage, including tourism.
(4) Tribal organization.--The term ``tribal organization'' has
the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
SEC. 4. INTEGRATING FEDERAL TOURISM ASSETS TO STRENGTHEN NATIVE TOURISM
OPPORTUNITIES.
(a) Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior.--The
Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior shall update
the respective management plans and tourism initiatives of the
Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior to include
Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
(b) Other Agencies.--The head of each agency that has recreational
travel or tourism functions or complementary programs shall update the
respective management plans and tourism strategies of the agency to
include Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian
organizations.
(c) Native American Tourism Plans.--
(1) In general.--The plans shall outline policy proposals--
(A) to improve travel and tourism data collection and
analysis;
(B) to increase the integration, alignment, and utility of
public records, publications, and Web sites maintained by
Federal agencies;
(C) to create a better user experience for domestic
travelers and international visitors;
(D) to align Federal agency Web sites and publications;
(E) to support national tourism goals;
(F) to identify agency programs that could be used to
support tourism capacity building and help sustain tourism
infrastructure in Native American communities;
(G) to develop innovative visitor portals for parks,
landmarks, heritage and cultural sites, and assets that
showcase and respect the diversity of the indigenous peoples of
the United States;
(H) to share local Native American heritage through the
development of bilingual interpretive and directional signage
that could include or incorporate English and the local Native
American language or languages; and
(I) to improve access to transportation programs related to
Native American community capacity building for tourism and
trade, including transportation planning for programs related
to visitor enhancement and safety.
(2) Consultation with indian tribes and native americans.--In
developing the plan under paragraph (1), the head of each agency
shall consult with Indian tribes and the Native American community
to identify appropriate levels of inclusion of the Indian tribes
and Native Americans in Federal tourism activities, public records
and publications, including Native American tourism information
available on Web sites.
(d) Technical Assistance.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation
with the Secretary of Commerce, shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding or cooperative agreement with an entity or
organization with a demonstrated record in tribal communities of
defining, introducing, developing, and sustaining American Indian,
Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian tourism and related activities
in a manner that respects and honors native traditions and values.
(2) Coordination.--The memorandum of understanding or
cooperative agreement described in paragraph (1) shall formalize a
role for the organization or entity to serve as a facilitator
between the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce
and the Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian
organizations--
(A) to identify areas where technical assistance is needed
through consultations with Indian tribes, tribal organizations,
and Native Hawaiian organizations to empower the Indian tribes,
tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to
participate fully in the tourism industry; and
(B) to provide a means for the delivery of technical
assistance and coordinate the delivery of the assistance to
Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian
organizations in collaboration with the Secretary of the
Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, and other entities with
distinctive experience, as appropriate.
(3) Funding.--Subject to the availability of appropriations,
the head of each Federal agency, including the Secretary of the
Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of
Transportation, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of
Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Labor shall
obligate any funds made available to the head of the agency to
cover any administrative expenses incurred by the organization or
entity described in paragraph (1) in carrying out programs or
activities of the agency.
(4) Metrics.--The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary
of Commerce shall coordinate with the organization or entity
described in paragraph (1) to develop metrics to measure the
effectiveness of the entity or organization in strengthening
tourism opportunities for Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and
Native Hawaiian organizations.
(e) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and occasionally thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior
and the Secretary of Commerce shall each submit to the Committee on
Indian Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of
the House of Representatives a report that describes--
(1) the manner in which the Secretary of the Interior or the
Secretary of Commerce, as applicable, is including Indian tribes,
tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations in
management plans;
(2) the efforts of the Secretary of the Interior or the
Secretary of Commerce, as applicable, to develop departmental and
agency tourism plans to support tourism programs of Indian tribes,
tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations;
(3) the manner in which the entity or organization described in
subsection (d)(1) is working to promote tourism to empower Indian
tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to
participate fully in the tourism industry; and
(4) the effectiveness of the entity or organization described
in subsection (d)(1) based on the metrics developed under
subsection (d)(4).
SEC. 5. NATIVE AMERICAN TOURISM AND BRANDING ENHANCEMENT.
(a) In General.--The head of each agency shall--
(1) take actions that help empower Indian tribes, tribal
organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to showcase the
heritage, foods, traditions, history, and continuing vitality of
Native American communities;
(2) support the efforts of Indian tribes, tribal organizations,
and Native Hawaiian organizations--
(A) to identify and enhance or maintain traditions and
cultural features that are important to sustain the
distinctiveness of the local Native American community; and
(B) to provide visitor experiences that are authentic and
respectful;
(3) provide assistance to interpret the connections between the
indigenous peoples of the United States and the national identity
of the United States;
(4) enhance efforts to promote understanding and respect for
diverse cultures and subcultures in the United States and the
relevance of those cultures to the national brand of the United
States; and
(5) enter into appropriate memoranda of understanding and
establish public-private partnerships to ensure that arriving
domestic travelers at airports and arriving international visitors
at ports of entry are welcomed in a manner that both showcases and
respects the diversity of Native American communities.
(b) Grants.--To the extent practicable, grant programs relating to
travel, recreation, or tourism administered by the Commissioner of the
Administration for Native Americans, Chairman of the National Endowment
for the Arts, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, or
the head of an agency with assets or resources relating to travel,
recreation, or tourism promotion or branding enhancement for which
Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or Native Hawaiian organizations
are eligible may be used--
(1) to support the efforts of Indian tribes, tribal
organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to tell the story
of Native Americans as the First Peoples of the United States;
(2) to use the arts and humanities to help revitalize Native
communities, promote economic development, increase livability, and
present the uniqueness of the United States to visitors in a way
that celebrates the diversity of the United States; and
(3) to carry out this section.
(c) Smithsonian.--The Advisory Council and the Board of Regents of
the Smithsonian Institution shall work with Indian tribes, tribal
organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and nonprofit
organizations to establish long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian
museums and educational and cultural organizations--
(1) to share collections, exhibitions, interpretive materials,
and educational strategies; and
(2) to conduct joint research and collaborative projects that
would support tourism efforts for Indian tribes, tribal
organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations and carry out the
intent of this section.
SEC. 6. EFFECT.
Nothing in this Act alters, or demonstrates congressional support
for the alteration of, the legal relationship between the United States
and any American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian individual,
group, organization, or entity.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.