Title: Healthy and Safe Travel Promotion Act of 2020
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Healthy and Safe Travel Promotion Act of 2020
This bill establishes grants and authorizes the use of certain funds to assist with economic recovery efforts in communities affected by declines in travel and tourism as a result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Commerce to provide grants to entities such as nonprofit organizations and state tourism offices that are responsible for marketing, selling, or promoting tourism to a community, region, or state. Such entities shall use grant funds to pay costs associated with (1) tourism marketing and promotion, (2) providing information to visitors about health and safety protections, (3) sanitation or cleaning, and (4) salaries and expenses related to such activities.
Further, the bill authorizes a recipient of amounts from the coronavirus relief fund to use such amounts to cover certain expenditures that (1) are made to assist with the economic recovery of an area impacted by a decline in travel and tourism as a result of COVID-19, and (2) are associated with marketing or promoting travel or tourism to the recipient's area. The bill also specifies that tourism and marketing promotion activities shall be considered an eligible use of certain economic development assistance funds provided in response to COVID-19.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7920 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7920

   To provide grants and direct funding for promotion of tourism and 
    healthy and safe travel practices in areas recovering from the 
      Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2020

  Ms. Titus introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 
   Committees on Financial Services, and Oversight and Reform, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide grants and direct funding for promotion of tourism and 
    healthy and safe travel practices in areas recovering from the 
      Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and for other purposes.

    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 ``Healthy and Safe Travel Promotion 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR PROMOTING TOURISM AND HEALTHY TRAVEL.

    Title II of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 219. TOURISM AND HEALTHY TRAVEL PROMOTION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide grants to eligible 
entities to assist with economic recovery in communities affected by 
declines in travel and tourism as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 
2019 (COVID-19).
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--An entity eligible to receive grants 
under this section shall be an entity that is responsible for 
marketing, selling, or promoting visitation to a community, region, or 
State, including--
            ``(1) a State tourism office;
            ``(2) a political subdivision or instrumentality of a State 
        or local government;
            ``(3) a Tribal government; and
            ``(4) a nonprofit organization.
    ``(c) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a process 
under which the Secretary may receive applications and make grants to 
eligible entities in accordance with this section.
    ``(d) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
application in such form, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(e) Selection.--The Secretary shall select eligible entities to 
receive grants under this section based on factors to be determined by 
the Secretary, using the best available data, including the decline in 
visitation and associated economic losses in a region as a result of 
COVID-19, and the amount of real or forecast revenue lost by an 
eligible entity as a result of COVID-19.
    ``(f) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity shall use grant funds 
provided under this section to--
            ``(1) pay costs associated with tourism marketing and 
        promotion activities necessary to assist with declines in 
        visitation as a result of COVID-19;
            ``(2) pay costs associated with providing information to 
        visitors about the health and safety protections, guidance or 
        requirements of Federal, State or local governments and 
        businesses to reduce the spread of COVID-19;
            ``(3) pay the increased costs of sanitation or cleaning to 
        provide for a safer environment at a convention center, large 
        event space, or community attraction; or
            ``(4) pay the costs of salaries and expenses associated 
        with the operations of the eligible entity with respect to 
        activities described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C).
    ``(g) Waiver.--
            ``(1) Long-term planning.--Sections 209(b)(2) and 204 shall 
        not apply for purposes of providing grants under this section.
            ``(2) Waiver authority.--The Secretary may waive, or 
        specify alternative requirements for, any provision of any 
        statute or regulation that the Secretary administers in 
        connection with a grant under this section if the Secretary 
        determines that any such waivers or alternative requirements 
        are necessary to expedite or facilitate the use of the amounts 
        made available under this section.
    ``(h) Federal Share.--Notwithstanding section 204, the Federal 
share of the cost of an activity carried out with a grant under this 
section shall be 100 percent.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary for fiscal year 2021 to carry out this 
section $5,000,000,000, to remain available until expended.''.

SEC. 3. DIRECT FUNDING PROMOTING TOURISM AND HEALTHY TRAVEL.

    Section 601 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 801) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (d), by striking ``A State, Tribal 
        government, and unit of local government'' and inserting 
        ``Subject to subsection (h), a State, Tribal government, and 
        unit of local government''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h) Eligibility.--A State, Tribal government, and unit of local 
government may use funds provided under a payment made under this 
section to cover expenditures of the recipient that--
            ``(1) are made to assist with the economic recovery of an 
        area impacted by a decline in travel and tourism as a result of 
        COVID-19;
            ``(2) are associated with marketing or promoting travel or 
        tourism to the recipient's area, including costs associated 
        with--
                    ``(A) educating visitors about local tourism 
                opportunities and health and safety guidelines;
                    ``(B) marketing tourism opportunities, convention 
                facilities, and group meeting space that are made 
                available in accordance with applicable State, local, 
                or Tribal government requirements; or
                    ``(C) provide information to visitors or potential 
                visitors regarding the health and safety practices of 
                regional businesses or attractions to protect public 
                health; and
            ``(3) were incurred during the period that begins on the 
        date of enactment of the Healthy and Safe Travel Promotion Act 
        of 2020 and ends on December 31, 2021.''.

SEC. 4. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS USE OF FUNDS.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of funds 
provided under the heading ``Economic Development Administration--
Economic Development Assistance Programs'' under title II of division B 
of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136), tourism and marketing promotion 
activities (including educating visitors about local tourism 
opportunities and health and safety guidelines, marketing tourism 
opportunities, convention facilities, and group meeting space that are 
made available in accordance with applicable State or local government 
requirements, and providing information to visitors or potential 
visitors regarding the health and safety practices of regional 
businesses or attractions to protect public health) shall be considered 
an eligible use of such funds.
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