Title: STEP Act
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Sustaining Tourism Enterprises During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act or the STEP Act
This bill requires the Department of Commerce to provide grants to certain tourism promotion entities and event venues to address the economic impacts of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
Eligible recipients are entities that (1) perform tourism promotion responsibilities; (2) host, organize, own, operate, or staff an event venue, a convention, or a trade show; or (3) provide certain services to events and tourism locations. Grant funds may be used for specified costs associated with tourism marketing and promotion activities designed to assist economic recovery in communities impacted by a decline in travel, tourism, and events due to COVID-19.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4299 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4299

To provide grants for tourism and events support and promotion in areas 
  affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 23, 2020

   Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Mr. Blunt, Ms. Klobuchar, and Mr. 
    Cramer) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide grants for tourism and events support and promotion in areas 
  affected by 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 ``Sustaining Tourism Enterprises 
During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act'' or the ``STEP Act''.

SEC. 2. TOURISM AND EVENTS SUPPORT AND PROMOTION.

    Title II of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 
is amended by inserting after section 207 (42 U.S.C. 3147) the 
following:

``SEC. 208. TOURISM AND EVENTS SUPPORT AND PROMOTION.

    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of the Sustaining Tourism Enterprises During the COVID-19 
Pandemic Act, the Secretary shall provide grants to eligible entities--
            ``(1) to assist with loss of revenue due to the economic 
        impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); and
            ``(2) to promote economic recovery in communities affected 
        by a decline in tourism and events due to COVID-19.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--An entity eligible to receive a grant 
under this section is an entity that performs tourism promotion 
responsibilities, hosts, organizes, owns, operates, or staffs an event 
venue, a convention, or a trade show, or provides services as a 
concessionaire to events and tourism locations, including--
            ``(1) a State tourism board or department;
            ``(2) a political subdivision or instrumentality of a State 
        or local government;
            ``(3) a unit of local government, including a county 
        government;
            ``(4) a Tribal government;
            ``(5) a multijurisdictional or regional group;
            ``(6) a nonprofit organization described in section 501(c) 
        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 
        under section 501(a) of that Code;
            ``(7) a quasi-governmental organization; and
            ``(8) a private business.
    ``(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(d) 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 economic impact 
information provided by applicants, such as information on job losses 
faced by the eligible entity or within the industry of the eligible 
entity, to address the economic recovery needs in areas impacted by the 
decline in travel, tourism, and events activities, and the associated 
revenues, due to COVID-19.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible entity may use the funds 
        from a grant under this section--
                    ``(A) to pay costs associated with tourism 
                marketing and promotion activities necessary to assist 
                with economic recovery from lost revenue due to COVID-
                19, including to purchase media advertisements on 
                print, broadcast, or digital media for the purpose of 
                marketing, public awareness, or information campaigns 
                relating to local tourism;
                    ``(B) to pay costs to promote economic recovery in 
                communities impacted by a decline in travel, tourism, 
                and events revenue as a result of COVID-19, including 
                through the provision of information on the safety and 
                security of sites for traveler or attendee awareness;
                    ``(C) to pay cleaning and sanitary costs, including 
                physical modifications, associated with precautions to 
                provide for safe worker, traveler, or event 
                environments; and
                    ``(D) to 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).
            ``(2) Prohibition.--Funds from a grant under this section 
        may not be used for activities related to or for purposes of 
        lobbying any governmental entity.
    ``(f) Distribution.--Of the amounts made available to carry out 
this section--
            ``(1) $2,000,000,000 shall be for expedited grants to 
        eligible entities to offset revenue losses due to the economic 
        impact of COVID-19; and
            ``(2) any remaining amounts shall be for grants for 
        activities described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of 
        subsection (e)(1).
    ``(g) Maximum Amount of Grant.--An eligible entity may not receive 
a grant under this section in an amount that is--
            ``(1) in the case of a grant under subsection (f)(1), more 
        than 80 percent of the loss in revenue experienced by the 
        eligible entity during the period beginning March 1, 2020, and 
        ending on the date of submission of the application, as 
        compared to the same period in 2019; and
            ``(2) in the case of a grant under subsection (f)(2), more 
        than 80 percent of the revenue of the eligible entity during 
        calendar year 2019.
    ``(h) Limitation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not more than 15 percent of the amounts 
        made available to carry out this section may be used to provide 
        grants to eligible entities that are private businesses.
            ``(2) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority for the 
        amounts under paragraph (1) to private businesses that are 
        small business concerns (within the meaning of section 3 of the 
        Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)).
    ``(i) No CEDS Required.--To receive a grant under this section, an 
eligible entity shall not be required to have a comprehensive economic 
development strategy.
    ``(j) Waiver.--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.
    ``(k) 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.
    ``(l) Administration.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not more than 2 percent of the amounts 
        made available to carry out this section may be used for the 
        administrative costs of carrying out this section.
            ``(2) Staffing.--
                    ``(A) Temporary appointment.--The Secretary may 
                appoint and fix the compensation of such temporary 
                personnel as may be necessary to carry out this 
                section, without regard to the provisions of title 5, 
                United States Code, governing appointments in 
                competitive service.
                    ``(B) Permanent appointment.--
                            ``(i) In general.--In the case of an 
                        individual appointed as temporary personnel 
                        under subparagraph (A) who has served 
                        continuously for not less than 2 years, the 
                        Secretary may appoint that individual to a 
                        position in the Economic Development 
                        Administration in the same manner that 
                        competitive service employees with competitive 
                        status are considered for transfer, 
                        reassignment, or promotion to such positions.
                            ``(ii) Treatment.--An individual appointed 
                        to a position under clause (i) shall become a 
                        career-conditional employee, unless the 
                        employee has already completed the service 
                        requirements for career tenure.
            ``(3) Investigations and audits.--The Secretary shall use 
        $3,000,000 of the amounts made available to carry out this 
        section to carry out investigations and audits related to the 
        provision of grants under this section.
    ``(m) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section 
        $10,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022.
            ``(2) Additional funding.--Notwithstanding any other 
        provision of law, the Secretary may use any amounts made 
        available to the Secretary under the heading `economic 
        development assistance programs (including transfers of funds)' 
        under the heading `Economic Development Administration' under 
        the heading `DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE' in title II of division B 
        of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136) that are unobligated as 
        of the date of enactment of the Sustaining Tourism Enterprises 
        During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act to provide grants under this 
        section.''.
                                 <all>