IC 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1579 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2016 

Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native American Tour3 ism and Improving Visitor Experience Act’’ or the ‘‘NA4 TIVE Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

6 The purposes of this Act are— 

7 (1) to enhance and integrate Native American 

8 tourism— 

9 (A) to empower Native American commu10 nities; and 

11 (B) to advance the National Travel and 

12 Tourism Strategy; 

13 (2) to increase coordination and collaboration 

14 between Federal tourism assets to support Native 

15 American tourism and bolster recreational travel and 

16 tourism; 

17 (3) to expand heritage and cultural tourism op18 portunities in the United States to spur economic 

19 development, create jobs, and increase tourism reve20 nues; 

21 (4) to enhance and improve self-determination 

22 and self-governance capabilities in the Native Amer23 ican community and to promote greater self-suffi24 ciency; 

25 (5) to encourage Indian tribes, tribal organiza26 tions, and Native Hawaiian organizations to engage 


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1 more fully in Native American tourism activities to 

2 increase visitation to rural and remote areas in the 

3 United States that are too difficult to access or are 

4 unknown to domestic travelers and international 

5 tourists; 

6 (6) to provide grants, loans, and technical as7 sistance to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and 

8 Native Hawaiian organizations that will— 

9 (A) spur important infrastructure develop10 ment; 

11 (B) increase tourism capacity; and 

12 (C) elevate living standards in Native 

13 American communities; and 

14 (7) to support the development of techno15 logically innovative projects that will incorporate rec16 reational travel and tourism information and data 

17 from Federal assets to improve the visitor experi18 ence. 

19 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

20 In this Act: 

21 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 

22 meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, 

23 United States Code. 

24 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

25 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 


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1 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

2 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 

3 (3) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

4 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ means a non5 profit organization— 

6 (A) that serves the interests of Native Ha7 waiians; 

8 (B) in which Native Hawaiians serve in 

9 substantive and policymaking positions; and 

10 (C) that is recognized for having expertise 

11 in Native Hawaiian culture and heritage, in12 cluding tourism. 

13 (4) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘tribal 

14 organization’’ has the meaning given the term in 

15 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu16 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 

17 SEC. 4. INTEGRATING FEDERAL TOURISM ASSETS TO 

18 STRENGTHEN NATIVE TOURISM OPPORTUNI19 TIES. 

20 (a) SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND SECRETARY OF

21 THE INTERIOR.—The Secretary of Commerce and the 

22 Secretary of the Interior shall update the respective man23 agement plans and tourism initiatives of the Department 

24 of Commerce and the Department of the Interior to inVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:49 Apr 27, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1579.RFH S1579

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1 clude Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Ha2 waiian organizations. 

3 (b) OTHER AGENCIES.—The head of each agency 

4 that has recreational travel or tourism functions or com5 plementary programs shall update the respective manage6 ment plans and tourism strategies of the agency to include 

7 Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian 

8 organizations. 

9 (c) NATIVE AMERICAN TOURISM PLANS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The plans shall outline pol11 icy proposals— 

12 (A) to improve travel and tourism data col13 lection and analysis; 

14 (B) to increase the integration, alignment, 

15 and utility of public records, publications, and 

16 Web sites maintained by Federal agencies; 

17 (C) to create a better user experience for 

18 domestic travelers and international visitors; 

19 (D) to align Federal agency Web sites and 

20 publications; 

21 (E) to support national tourism goals; 

22 (F) to identify agency programs that could 

23 be used to support tourism capacity building 

24 and help sustain tourism infrastructure in Na25 tive American communities; 


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1 (G) to develop innovative visitor portals for 

2 parks, landmarks, heritage and cultural sites, 

3 and assets that showcase and respect the diver4 sity of the indigenous peoples of the United 

5 States; 

6 (H) to share local Native American herit7 age through the development of bilingual inter8 pretive and directional signage that could in9 clude or incorporate English and the local Na10 tive American language or languages; and 

11 (I) to improve access to transportation 

12 programs related to Native American commu13 nity capacity building for tourism and trade, in14 cluding transportation planning for programs 

15 related to visitor enhancement and safety. 

16 (2) CONSULTATION WITH INDIAN TRIBES AND

17 NATIVE AMERICANS.—In developing the plan under 

18 paragraph (1), the head of each agency shall consult 

19 with Indian tribes and the Native American commu20 nity to identify appropriate levels of inclusion of the 

21 Indian tribes and Native Americans in Federal tour22 ism activities, public records and publications, in23 cluding Native American tourism information avail24 able on Web sites. 

25 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte2 rior, in consultation with the Secretary of Com3 merce, shall enter into a memorandum of under4 standing or cooperative agreement with an entity or 

5 organization with a demonstrated record in tribal 

6 communities of defining, introducing, developing, 

7 and sustaining American Indian, Alaska Native, and 

8 Native Hawaiian tourism and related activities in a 

9 manner that respects and honors native traditions 

10 and values. 

11 (2) COORDINATION.—The memorandum of un12 derstanding or cooperative agreement described in 

13 paragraph (1) shall formalize a role for the organi14 zation or entity to serve as a facilitator between the 

15 Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Com16 merce and the Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 

17 and Native Hawaiian organizations— 

18 (A) to identify areas where technical as19 sistance is needed through consultations with 

20 Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native 

21 Hawaiian organizations to empower the Indian 

22 tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawai23 ian organizations to participate fully in the 

24 tourism industry; and 


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1 (B) to provide a means for the delivery of 

2 technical assistance and coordinate the delivery 

3 of the assistance to Indian tribes, tribal organi4 zations, and Native Hawaiian organizations in 

5 collaboration with the Secretary of the Interior, 

6 the Secretary of Commerce, and other entities 

7 with distinctive experience, as appropriate. 

8 (3) FUNDING.—Subject to the availability of 

9 appropriations, the head of each Federal agency, in10 cluding the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary 

11 of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, the 

12 Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health 

13 and Human Services, and the Secretary of Labor 

14 shall obligate any funds made available to the head 

15 of the agency to cover any administrative expenses 

16 incurred by the organization or entity described in 

17 paragraph (1) in carrying out programs or activities 

18 of the agency. 

19 (4) METRICS.—The Secretary of the Interior 

20 and the Secretary of Commerce shall coordinate with 

21 the organization or entity described in paragraph (1) 

22 to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of 

23 the entity or organization in strengthening tourism 

24 opportunities for Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 

25 and Native Hawaiian organizations. 


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1 (e) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

2 of enactment of this Act, and occasionally thereafter, the 

3 Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce 

4 shall each submit to the Committee on Indian Affairs of 

5 the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of 

6 the House of Representatives a report that describes— 

7 (1) the manner in which the Secretary of the 

8 Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, as applica9 ble, is including Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 

10 and Native Hawaiian organizations in management 

11 plans; 

12 (2) the efforts of the Secretary of the Interior 

13 or the Secretary of Commerce, as applicable, to de14 velop departmental and agency tourism plans to sup15 port tourism programs of Indian tribes, tribal orga16 nizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations; 

17 (3) the manner in which the entity or organiza18 tion described in subsection (d)(1) is working to pro19 mote tourism to empower Indian tribes, tribal orga20 nizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to par21 ticipate fully in the tourism industry; and 

22 (4) the effectiveness of the entity or organiza23 tion described in subsection (d)(1) based on the 

24 metrics developed under subsection (d)(4). 


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1 SEC. 5. NATIVE AMERICAN TOURISM AND BRANDING EN2 HANCEMENT. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The head of each agency shall— 

4 (1) take actions that help empower Indian 

5 tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian or6 ganizations to showcase the heritage, foods, tradi7 tions, history, and continuing vitality of Native 

8 American communities; 

9 (2) support the efforts of Indian tribes, tribal 

10 organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations— 

11 (A) to identify and enhance or maintain 

12 traditions and cultural features that are impor13 tant to sustain the distinctiveness of the local 

14 Native American community; and 

15 (B) to provide visitor experiences that are 

16 authentic and respectful; 

17 (3) provide assistance to interpret the connec18 tions between the indigenous peoples of the United 

19 States and the national identity of the United 

20 States; 

21 (4) enhance efforts to promote understanding 

22 and respect for diverse cultures and subcultures in 

23 the United States and the relevance of those cul24 tures to the national brand of the United States; 

25 and 


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1 (5) enter into appropriate memoranda of under2 standing and establish public-private partnerships to 

3 ensure that arriving domestic travelers at airports 

4 and arriving international visitors at ports of entry 

5 are welcomed in a manner that both showcases and 

6 respects the diversity of Native American commu7 nities. 

8 (b) GRANTS.—To the extent practicable, grant pro9 grams relating to travel, recreation, or tourism adminis10 tered by the Commissioner of the Administration for Na11 tive Americans, Chairman of the National Endowment for 

12 the Arts, Chairman of the National Endowment for the 

13 Humanities, or the head of an agency with assets or re14 sources relating to travel, recreation, or tourism promotion 

15 or branding enhancement for which Indian tribes, tribal 

16 organizations, or Native Hawaiian organizations are eligi17 ble may be used— 

18 (1) to support the efforts of Indian tribes, tribal 

19 organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to 

20 tell the story of Native Americans as the First Peo21 ples of the United States; 

22 (2) to use the arts and humanities to help revi23 talize Native communities, promote economic devel24 opment, increase livability, and present the uniqueVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:49 Apr 27, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1579.RFH S1579

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1 ness of the United States to visitors in a way that 

2 celebrates the diversity of the United States; and 

3 (3) to carry out this section. 

4 (c) SMITHSONIAN.—The Advisory Council and the 

5 Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution shall 

6 work with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Native Ha7 waiian organizations, and nonprofit organizations to es8 tablish long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian mu9 seums and educational and cultural organizations— 

10 (1) to share collections, exhibitions, interpretive 

11 materials, and educational strategies; and 

12 (2) to conduct joint research and collaborative 

13 projects that would support tourism efforts for In14 dian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawai15 ian organizations and carry out the intent of this 

16 section. 

17 SEC. 6. EFFECT. 

18 Nothing in this Act alters, or demonstrates congres19 sional support for the alteration of, the legal relationship 

20 between the United States and any American Indian, 


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1 Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian individual, group, or2 ganization, or entity. 

Passed the Senate April 25, 2016. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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