A bill to amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act to authorize grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations, and for other purposes.
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The bill would amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act to let the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, and other federal agencies award grants directly to tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations for tourism-related projects.
It would authorize $35 million over five years for these grants, giving tribal and Native Hawaiian communities a dedicated federal funding stream to develop tourism and visitor infrastructure.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would add a new section to the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act authorizing three sets of federal officials to make grants and enter into agreements to carry out the Act's tourism-related purposes: the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs may grant to Indian tribes and tribal organizations; the Director of the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations may grant to Native Hawaiian organizations; and other federal agency heads (including the Secretaries of Commerce, Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Labor) may grant to any of these groups. It would authorize $35,000,000 for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out this new grant authority. The bill also renumbers the existing section 6 of the Act as section 7 to accommodate the new section. It does not itself create new tourism programs or mandate agencies make grants; the grant-making authority is discretionary ("may").
Key provisions
- 1Would authorize the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make grants to and enter agreements with Indian tribes and tribal organizations for tourism purposes
- 2Would authorize the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations to make grants to and enter agreements with Native Hawaiian organizations
- 3Would authorize other federal agencies, including Commerce, Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Labor, to make similar grants
- 4Would authorize $35,000,000 in appropriations for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out the new grant programs
Who would be affected
Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations seeking funding for tourism and visitor-related projects, as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, and other federal agencies that would gain authority to award such grants.
Why it matters
If enacted, tribal and Native Hawaiian communities would gain a specific, funded federal grant pathway to develop tourism infrastructure and programs, potentially supporting local economic development. Because the grants are discretionary rather than mandatory, actual funding flow would depend on agency decisions and appropriations.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (25 U.S.C. 4351 et seq.) (Sec. 1)
Inserts a new section 6 authorizing tourism grants to tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations and redesignates the former section 6 as section 7
Agencies directed to act
Funding and costs
- $35,000,000
grants and agreements for Native American and Native Hawaiian tourism programs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates S. 612 would cost $35 million over the 2025–2030 period in discretionary spending (spending subject to congressional appropriation), with no effect on the deficit or direct mandatory spending.
S. 612 would authorize $35 million over the 2025–2029 period for a grant program supporting Native American tourism, administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, and other federal agencies. CBO estimates that, if the authorized amount is appropriated, outlays would total $35 million over the 2025–2030 period; the bill has no effect on direct (mandatory) spending, revenues, or the deficit. CBO projects zero net deficit impact across all future 10-year windows beginning in 2036. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
How implementation would work
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, and other named federal agencies would each independently decide whether and how to award grants or enter agreements with eligible tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations, using the $35 million authorized for fiscal years 2025-2029. The bill does not specify application procedures, selection criteria, or reporting requirements, leaving those details to be developed by the implementing agencies.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Held at the desk.
Official CRS summary
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This bill authorizes grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations for activities related to recreational travel and tourism.
Specifically, the bill authorizes (1) the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make these grants to and enter into agreements with Indian tribes and tribal organizations; (2) the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations to make these grants to and enter into agreements with Native Hawaiian organizations; and (3) other federal agencies to make these grants to and enter into agreements with tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
Legislative subjects
Alaska Natives and Hawaiians; Federal-Indian relations; Indian social and development programs; Native Americans; Travel and tourism
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-20