NATIVE Act

Summary: (This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on April 25, 2016.  Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act or the NATIVE Act (Sec. 4) This bill requires the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and federal agencies with recreational travel or tourism functions to update their management plans and tourism initiatives to include Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations. The plans must outline proposals to:   improve travel and tourism data collection and analysis, increase the usability of public information and federal websites, support national tourism goals, identify programs that could support tourism infrastructure in Native American communities, develop visitor portals and assets that showcase and respect the diversity of Native Americans, share local Native American heritage through the development of bilingual signage, and improve access to transportation programs for building capacity for Native American community tourism and trade.  Interior and Commerce must: (1) work with a facilitator to provide technical assistance to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations regarding participation in the tourism industry, and (2) report on departmental efforts supporting such participation. (Sec. 5) Federal agencies must: (1) support Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations in showcasing their history, culture, and continuing vitality, enhancing or maintaining their distinctive cultural features, and providing authentic and respectful visitor experiences; (2) assist in interpreting the connections between Native Americans and the national identity of the United States; (3) enhance efforts to promote understanding and respect for diverse cultures in the United States and the relevance of those cultures; and (4) ensure that travelers at airports and ports of entry are welcomed in a manner that both showcases and respects the diversity of Native American communities. Grants relating to travel, recreation, or tourism for which Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or Native Hawaiian organizations are eligible may be used to: (1) support their efforts to present their story and culture, (2) revitalize Native American communities using the arts and humanities, and (3) carry out this Act. The Smithsonian Institution must work with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and nonprofits to share collections and conduct joint research and projects with museums, educational organizations, and cultural organizations.

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.