HR 4276119th CongressIn Committee

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.

Introduced: Jul 2, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-Hawaii)

Economy & Taxes

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill would amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (the NATIVE Act) to create formal grant programs for promoting tribal tourism and improving visitor experiences. It authorizes the following grant-making authorities: (1) the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) may award grants to Indian tribes and tribal organizations; (2) the Director of the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations may award grants to Native Hawaiian organizations; and (3) heads of other federal agencies (including Commerce, Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Labor) may award grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations. The bill would also authorize $35 million in appropriations for these grants for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. The grants are intended to carry out the purposes of the Act as described in section 2 of the NATIVE Act. In short, the bill broadens funding pathways for tribal and Native Hawaiian tourism initiatives by giving multiple federal offices the authority to provide grants, and it guarantees a five-year funding pool.

Key Points

1Creates a formal “Native American Tourism Grant Program” with three grant avenues: (a) BIA grants to tribes and tribal organizations; (b) grants from the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations to Native Hawaiian organizations; (c) grants from other federal agencies to tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
2Authorized recipients: Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
3Cross-agency participation: Heads of several federal agencies (e.g., Commerce, Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Labor) may award grants to support the Act’s purposes.
4Funding authorization: $35,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out these grant programs.
5Structural change: The bill reorganizes the statute by redesignating section 6 as section 7 and inserting a new section 6 that establishes the grant programs and appropriations.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations that run or develop tourism and visitor-experience programs on Tribal lands or in Native Hawaiian communities.Secondary group/area affected: Federal agencies (BIA, Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, and other agencies listed) that would administer and award grants; potential collaboration with state and local tourism entities; the broader tourism and cultural heritage sectors.Additional impacts: Potential for expanded funding and resources to support tribal tourism initiatives, workforce development, and preservation of cultural sites. The bill’s effectiveness would depend on later implementing regulations, grant criteria, application processes, reporting requirements, and the actual appropriation levels provided by Congress in any given year.

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