ID 

Union Calendar No. 559 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1579 

[Report No. 114–721, Part I] 

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 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 

The Committees on Energy and Commerce and House Administration discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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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. 


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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native American Tour5 ism and Improving Visitor Experience Act’’ or the ‘‘NA6 TIVE Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

8 The purposes of this Act are— 

9 (1) to enhance and integrate Native American 

10 tourism— 

11 (A) to empower Native American commu12 nities; and 

13 (B) to advance the National Travel and 

14 Tourism Strategy; 

15 (2) to increase coordination and collaboration 

16 between Federal tourism assets to support Native 

17 American tourism and bolster recreational travel and 

18 tourism; 

19 (3) to expand heritage and cultural tourism op20 portunities in the United States to spur economic 

21 development, create jobs, and increase tourism reve22 nues; 

23 (4) to enhance and improve self-determination 

24 and self-governance capabilities in the Native AmerVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:20 Sep 07, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1579.RH S1579

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1 ican community and to promote greater self-suffi2 ciency; 

3 (5) to encourage Indian tribes, tribal organiza4 tions, and Native Hawaiian organizations to engage 

5 more fully in Native American tourism activities to 

6 increase visitation to rural and remote areas in the 

7 United States that are too difficult to access or are 

8 unknown to domestic travelers and international 

9 tourists; 

10 (6) to provide grants, loans, and technical as11 sistance to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and 

12 Native Hawaiian organizations that will— 

13 (A) spur important infrastructure develop14 ment; 

15 (B) increase tourism capacity; and 

16 (C) elevate living standards in Native 

17 American communities; and 

18 (7) to support the development of techno19 logically innovative projects that will incorporate rec20 reational travel and tourism information and data 

21 from Federal assets to improve the visitor experi22 ence. 

23 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this Act: 


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

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

3 United States Code. 

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

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

6 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

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

8 (3) NATIVE HAWAIIAN ORGANIZATION.—The 

9 term ‘‘Native Hawaiian organization’’ means a non10 profit organization— 

11 (A) that serves the interests of Native Ha12 waiians; 

13 (B) in which Native Hawaiians serve in 

14 substantive and policymaking positions; and 

15 (C) that is recognized for having expertise 

16 in Native Hawaiian culture and heritage, in17 cluding tourism. 

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

19 organization’’ has the meaning given the term in 

20 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu21 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 


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1 SEC. 4. INTEGRATING FEDERAL TOURISM ASSETS TO 

2 STRENGTHEN NATIVE TOURISM OPPORTUNI3 TIES. 

4 (a) SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND SECRETARY OF

5 THE INTERIOR.—The Secretary of Commerce and the 

6 Secretary of the Interior shall update the respective man7 agement plans and tourism initiatives of the Department 

8 of Commerce and the Department of the Interior to in9 clude Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Ha10 waiian organizations. 

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

12 that has recreational travel or tourism functions or com13 plementary programs shall update the respective manage14 ment plans and tourism strategies of the agency to include 

15 Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian 

16 organizations. 

17 (c) NATIVE AMERICAN TOURISM PLANS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The plans shall outline pol19 icy proposals— 

20 (A) to improve travel and tourism data col21 lection and analysis; 

22 (B) to increase the integration, alignment, 

23 and utility of public records, publications, and 

24 Web sites maintained by Federal agencies; 

25 (C) to create a better user experience for 

26 domestic travelers and international visitors; 


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1 (D) to align Federal agency Web sites and 

2 publications; 

3 (E) to support national tourism goals; 

4 (F) to identify agency programs that could 

5 be used to support tourism capacity building 

6 and help sustain tourism infrastructure in Na7 tive American communities; 

8 (G) to develop innovative visitor portals for 

9 parks, landmarks, heritage and cultural sites, 

10 and assets that showcase and respect the diver11 sity of the indigenous peoples of the United 

12 States; 

13 (H) to share local Native American herit14 age through the development of bilingual inter15 pretive and directional signage that could in16 clude or incorporate English and the local Na17 tive American language or languages; and 

18 (I) to improve access to transportation 

19 programs related to Native American commu20 nity capacity building for tourism and trade, in21 cluding transportation planning for programs 

22 related to visitor enhancement and safety. 

23 (2) CONSULTATION WITH INDIAN TRIBES AND

24 NATIVE AMERICANS.—In developing the plan under 

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


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1 with Indian tribes and the Native American commu2 nity to identify appropriate levels of inclusion of the 

3 Indian tribes and Native Americans in Federal tour4 ism activities, public records and publications, in5 cluding Native American tourism information avail6 able on Web sites. 

7 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte9 rior, in consultation with the Secretary of Com10 merce, shall enter into a memorandum of under11 standing or cooperative agreement with an entity or 

12 organization with a demonstrated record in tribal 

13 communities of defining, introducing, developing, 

14 and sustaining American Indian, Alaska Native, and 

15 Native Hawaiian tourism and related activities in a 

16 manner that respects and honors native traditions 

17 and values. 

18 (2) COORDINATION.—The memorandum of un19 derstanding or cooperative agreement described in 

20 paragraph (1) shall formalize a role for the organi21 zation or entity to serve as a facilitator between the 

22 Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Com23 merce and the Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 

24 and Native Hawaiian organizations— 


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1 (A) to identify areas where technical as2 sistance is needed through consultations with 

3 Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native 

4 Hawaiian organizations to empower the Indian 

5 tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawai6 ian organizations to participate fully in the 

7 tourism industry; and 

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

9 technical assistance and coordinate the delivery 

10 of the assistance to Indian tribes, tribal organi11 zations, and Native Hawaiian organizations in 

12 collaboration with the Secretary of the Interior, 

13 the Secretary of Commerce, and other entities 

14 with distinctive experience, as appropriate. 

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

16 appropriations, the head of each Federal agency, in17 cluding the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary 

18 of Commerce, the Secretary of Transportation, the 

19 Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health 

20 and Human Services, and the Secretary of Labor 

21 shall obligate any funds made available to the head 

22 of the agency to cover any administrative expenses 

23 incurred by the organization or entity described in 

24 paragraph (1) in carrying out programs or activities 

25 of the agency. 


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

2 and the Secretary of Commerce shall coordinate with 

3 the organization or entity described in paragraph (1) 

4 to develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of 

5 the entity or organization in strengthening tourism 

6 opportunities for Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 

7 and Native Hawaiian organizations. 

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

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

10 Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce 

11 shall each submit to the Committee on Indian Affairs of 

12 the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of 

13 the House of Representatives a report that describes— 

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

15 Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, as applica16 ble, is including Indian tribes, tribal organizations, 

17 and Native Hawaiian organizations in management 

18 plans; 

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

20 or the Secretary of Commerce, as applicable, to de21 velop departmental and agency tourism plans to sup22 port tourism programs of Indian tribes, tribal orga23 nizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations; 

24 (3) the manner in which the entity or organiza25 tion described in subsection (d)(1) is working to proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:20 Sep 07, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1579.RH S1579

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1 mote tourism to empower Indian tribes, tribal orga2 nizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to par3 ticipate fully in the tourism industry; and 

4 (4) the effectiveness of the entity or organiza5 tion described in subsection (d)(1) based on the 

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

7 SEC. 5. NATIVE AMERICAN TOURISM AND BRANDING EN8 HANCEMENT. 

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

10 (1) take actions that help empower Indian 

11 tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian or12 ganizations to showcase the heritage, foods, tradi13 tions, history, and continuing vitality of Native 

14 American communities; 

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

16 organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations— 

17 (A) to identify and enhance or maintain 

18 traditions and cultural features that are impor19 tant to sustain the distinctiveness of the local 

20 Native American community; and 

21 (B) to provide visitor experiences that are 

22 authentic and respectful; 

23 (3) provide assistance to interpret the connec24 tions between the indigenous peoples of the United 


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1 States and the national identity of the United 

2 States; 

3 (4) enhance efforts to promote understanding 

4 and respect for diverse cultures and subcultures in 

5 the United States and the relevance of those cul6 tures to the national brand of the United States; 

7 and 

8 (5) enter into appropriate memoranda of under9 standing and establish public-private partnerships to 

10 ensure that arriving domestic travelers at airports 

11 and arriving international visitors at ports of entry 

12 are welcomed in a manner that both showcases and 

13 respects the diversity of Native American commu14 nities. 

15 (b) GRANTS.—To the extent practicable, grant pro16 grams relating to travel, recreation, or tourism adminis17 tered by the Commissioner of the Administration for Na18 tive Americans, Chairman of the National Endowment for 

19 the Arts, Chairman of the National Endowment for the 

20 Humanities, or the head of an agency with assets or re21 sources relating to travel, recreation, or tourism promotion 

22 or branding enhancement for which Indian tribes, tribal 

23 organizations, or Native Hawaiian organizations are eligi24 ble may be used— 


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

2 organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations to 

3 tell the story of Native Americans as the First Peo4 ples of the United States; 

5 (2) to use the arts and humanities to help revi6 talize Native communities, promote economic devel7 opment, increase livability, and present the unique8 ness of the United States to visitors in a way that 

9 celebrates the diversity of the United States; and 

10 (3) to carry out this section. 

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

12 Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution shall 

13 work with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Native Ha14 waiian organizations, and nonprofit organizations to es15 tablish long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian mu16 seums and educational and cultural organizations— 

17 (1) to share collections, exhibitions, interpretive 

18 materials, and educational strategies; and 

19 (2) to conduct joint research and collaborative 

20 projects that would support tourism efforts for In21 dian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawai22 ian organizations and carry out the intent of this 

23 section. 


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1 SEC. 6. EFFECT. 

2 Nothing in this Act alters, or demonstrates congres3 sional support for the alteration of, the legal relationship 

4 between the United States and any American Indian, 

5 Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian individual, group, or6 ganization, or entity. 


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Union Calendar No. 559 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1579 

[Report No. 114–721, Part I] 

A BILL 

To enhance and integrate Native American tourism, 

tourism opportunities in the United States. tourism assets, and expand heritage and cultural coordination and collaboration between Federal empower Native American communities, increase 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 

The Committees on Energy and Commerce and House 

and ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union Administration discharged; committed to the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:20 Sep 07, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\S1579.RH S1579

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