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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1579 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1579

   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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 16, 2015

Mr. Schatz (for himself, Mr. Thune, Mr. Udall, Mr. Heller, Mr. Tester, 
 Mr. Franken, Ms. Murkowski, and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   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 and tribal 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 and tribal 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) Tribal organization.--
                    (A) In general.--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).
                    (B) Inclusion.--The term ``tribal organization'' 
                includes a Native Hawaiian organization (as defined in 
                section 7207 of the Native Hawaiian Education Act (20 
                U.S.C. 7517)).

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 and tribal 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 and tribal 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 and tribal 
        organizations--
                    (A) to identify areas where technical assistance is 
                needed through consultations with Indian tribes and 
                tribal organizations to empower the Indian tribes and 
                tribal 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 and tribal 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 and 
        tribal 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 and tribal 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 and tribal organizations;
            (3) the manner in which the entity or organization 
        described in subsection (d)(1) is working to promote tourism to 
        empower Indian tribes and tribal 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 and tribal 
        organizations to showcase the heritage, foods, traditions, 
        history, and continuing vitality of the Indian tribes and 
        tribal organizations;
            (2) support the efforts of Indian tribes and tribal 
        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 Indian tribes and 
        tribal organizations.
    (b) Grants.--To the extent practicable, grants 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, and any other grant program administered by the 
head of an agency for which Indian tribes or tribal organizations are 
eligible may be used--
            (1) to support the efforts of Indian tribes and tribal 
        organizations to tell the story of those Indian tribes and 
        tribal organizations 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, 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 and tribal 
        organizations and carry out the intent of this section.
                                 <all>
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