I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4733 
To deem certain voyages transporting passengers between ports or places 
within the United States in compliance with certain requirements upon 
calling on a port owned by an Indian Tribe, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2021 
Mr. YOUNG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To deem certain voyages transporting passengers between 
ports or places within the United States in compliance 
with certain requirements upon calling on a port owned 
by an Indian Tribe, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tribal Tourism Sov-
ereignty Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF PORTS AND PORT CALLS ON IN-
DIAN LANDS. 
(a) CRITERIA.—For the purposes of complying with 
section 55103 of title 46, United States Code, voyages 
transporting passengers between ports or places in the 
United States shall be deemed in compliance with such 
section upon calling on a port or place owned by an Indian 
Tribe, if the voyage— 
(1) is made by a covered passenger vessel to 
which sections 3507 and 3508 of title 46, United 
States Code, apply; and 
(2) 
employs 
alien 
crewman 
issued 
non-
immigrant visas pursuant to subparagraph (C) of 
(D) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)). 
(b) APPLICABILITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Voyages conducted under 
subsection (a) shall originate in a port or place in 
the United States and terminate in a port or place 
in the United States. 
(2) COMPLIANCE.—For purposes of complying 
with subsection (a), a covered passenger vessel per-
forming voyages under subsection (a) shall comply 
with the following: 
(A) Receive permission through a tribal 
resolution or formal agreement from the appli-
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cable Indian Tribe to dock at a port or place 
owned by such Indian Tribe and disembark pas-
sengers on the tribal lands of such Tribe. 
(B) The agreement— 
(i) shall grant such covered passenger 
vessels access to such port; and 
(ii) may provide authority to dis-
embark passengers and crew on such lands 
and describe permissible activities for such 
passengers and crew. 
(C) Such covered passenger vessels, crews, 
and passengers shall comply with all applicable 
Tribal laws and regulations, including health 
and safety laws and regulations for the dura-
tion of such vessels, crews, and passenger’s 
time on Tribal land. 
(c) TRIBAL POWERS AND PRIVILEGES.—For voyages 
and port calls described in subsections (a) and (b), 
Tribes— 
(1) shall have the sole authority to make or ter-
minate agreements described in subsection (b) at 
any time; 
(2) shall have the authority to levy and collect 
fees from port calls made by covered passenger ves-
sels performed under subsection (a); and 
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(3) shall receive the right of first refusal to pro-
vide contracts and services to covered passenger ves-
sels described in subsection (a) for the duration of 
the port call. 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—For purposes of com-
plying with subsection (a), ports owned by Indian Tribes 
located on land adjacent to navigable coastal waters shall 
be considered a foreign port for purposes of section 55103 
of title 46, United States Code. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) COVERED PASSENGER VESSEL.—The term 
‘‘covered passenger vessel’’ means a passenger vessel 
to which sections 3507 and 3508 of title 46 United 
States Code apply. 
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
means— 
(A) any federally recognized Indian tribe, 
band, nation, village, or other organized group 
or community; and 
(B) any Alaska Native village or regional 
or village corporation as defined in or estab-
lished pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims 
Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 
(3) PORT CALL.—The term ‘‘port call’’ means 
the docking of a covered passenger vessel described 
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in subsection (a)(1) at a port controlled by an In-
dian Tribe, regardless of the act of embarking or 
disembarking passengers. 
(4) PORT OWNED BY AN INDIAN TRIBE.—The 
term ‘‘port owned by an Indian Tribe’’ means a port 
that is owned and controlled by an Indian Tribe and 
located on land owned and controlled by such Tribe. 
Æ 
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