Sec. 12. Hospitality and Outdoor-Recreation Supporting Tourism (HOST) grants

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Title II of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 ( 42 U.S.C. 3141 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: In this section, the term tourism, hospitality, or special event activity means any economic activity that primarily serves to encourage recreational or business travel within the United States or from abroad, including tourist attractions, business and recreational conventions, large entertainment events and venues, and promotion or organization of any such activity.

The Secretary shall establish a program to provide grants to eligible recipients to support outdoor recreation, travel, and tourism, hospitality, or special event activities to spur economic development. A project carried out with a grant under this section shall be carried out for the goal of— in the case of an infrastructure project— leading to long-term increases in tourist activity in a region, including in communities adjacent to National Park System units, National Forest System land, State parks, national marine sanctuaries, National Heritage Areas, Tribal parks, or other natural destinations; using nature-based infrastructure projects and other projects intended to enhance public access to outdoor recreation opportunities; and enhancing the visitor experience or economic value of the local tourism, hospitality, or special event industries; or in the case of other projects as determined appropriate by the Secretary, supporting the outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special event industries, in a manner consistent with the National Travel and Tourism Strategy or as recommended by the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, if any.

A grant under this section may be used— for short-term and long-term economic development planning and coordination of local or regional outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, and special event industries; to carry out technical assistance projects to assist local or regional economies in— the recovery from, and response to, damage to the outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, and special event industries as a result of a natural disaster or public health emergency; and future development of the outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special event industries; to pay costs associated with obtaining State, Tribal, county, city, community, or regional tourism, hospitality, or special event activity marketing and promotion campaigns, including through nonprofit or quasigovernmental Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs); to carry out construction activities that support local or regional outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special events, including activities involving— construction of new, or improvements to existing, outdoor recreation and trail infrastructure, including public access and safety enhancements to that infrastructure; nature-based infrastructure projects to improve access to outdoor recreation; improvement of cultural, arts, convention, special event, outdoor recreation, and tourism facilities, such as visitor or tourist information centers, including through— general accessibility upgrades, such as increasing disability access; improving ventilation, heating, and cooling systems; increasing energy efficiency; and incorporating additional renewable energy generation associated with that infrastructure, including zero-emission vehicle fleets and charging infrastructure; construction of workforce training facilities in order to carry out capacity building programs; water or wastewater and stormwater improvements; pier construction and improvements; and accessibility enhancements; to pay costs associated with upgrades and retrofits, including filtration and sanitation and physical modifications to existing local or regional outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special event infrastructure, such as convention centers, large event spaces, campsites, or associated community attractions, with precautions to provide for safe worker, traveler, or event environments to increase travel and tourism activities or to make the infrastructure more functional as a result of a natural disaster or a public health emergency; to establish programs to provide assistance to businesses in local or regional outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special events industries— for development; to recover from the impacts of a major disaster or emergency declared under the Robert T.

Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq. ) or a public health emergency declared under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 247d ); or for expansion of programs; to carry out workforce training, recruitment, and research programs that support the outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special event industries to improve the skills of, and job opportunities for, workers in those industries, including through a program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the National Apprenticeship Act ; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq. ), and other work and learn models; to pay costs associated with providing information to visitors about the health and safety protections, guidance, or requirements of Federal, State, Tribal, or local governments and businesses in the wake of a natural disaster or a public health emergency; and as applicable, and a result of a natural disaster or a public health emergency to pay the costs of salaries and expenses associated with the operations of the eligible recipient, other than salaries and expenses of the executives of the eligible recipient, if the applicant— demonstrates the capacity to maintain the positions for which the funds are used; or demonstrates that the positions for which the funds are used are temporary or seasonal.

Examples of activities that comply with the eligible uses described in subparagraphs

(A)through

(I)of paragraph

(1)include activities that involve— media and marketing; installing or constructing visitor kiosks; installing interpretive signage; building improvements; and support or technical assistance for small businesses, including activities that bring public awareness to those small businesses. Amounts provided under this section may not be used— for recruitment efforts to bring in or host particular events, such as sporting competitions or other activities; or to invest in facilities, events, or operations that are not open or broadly available to the general public. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall coordinate with, as appropriate, the Tribal Tourism Grant Program of the Office of Indian Economic Development of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to support Tribal communities when funding provided under that grant program is helpful in developing or expanding the outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, and special event economies of those Tribal communities. The Secretary shall give priority to eligible recipients that seek to carry out an activity that— is based on long-term, regionally oriented, coordinated, and collaborative economic development or redevelopment strategies that foster economic growth and resilience; will promote workforce development; or will involve a minority-owned, rural, Native American, or otherwise underserved small business concern. In providing a grant under this section to an eligible recipient that is an Indian tribe, a tribal organization (as defined in section 3 of the NATIVE Act ( 25 U.S.C. 4352 )), or a Native Hawaiian organization (as defined in that section), the Secretary— may consider whether the Indian tribe, tribal organization (as so defined), or Native Hawaiian organization (as so defined), as applicable, has matching funds from other sources to carry out an activity; and shall not require the Indian tribe, tribal organization (as so defined), or Native Hawaiian organization (as so defined), as applicable, to provide matching funds from other sources to receive a grant under this section. In providing grants under this section, the Secretary shall distribute the funds to eligible recipients in each region served by the Economic Development Administration in accordance with the distribution parameters described in paragraph (2)(A). The distribution parameters referred to in paragraph

(1)shall include consideration of each of the following: Using the most recent data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages and the Current Employment Statistics, employment in the leisure and hospitality sectors (other than food service businesses) as a percentage of total employment in States in the region, using a 5-year average. Using the most recent data from the Arts and Cultural Production and Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, employment in arts and cultural production and outdoor recreation as a percentage of total employment in States in the region, using a 5-year average. The number of international and domestic visitors in States in the region, using data from the Department or another source as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. The impacts of natural or economic disasters, or public health emergencies, on the outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special event industries in States in the region. Any other data that the Secretary determines reliably measures the impact of outdoor recreation, travel, tourism, hospitality, or special events to the economy of a State. If the Secretary determines that a data source described in clause

(i)or

(ii)of subparagraph

(A)is out of date, discontinued, or otherwise inaccurate, the Secretary may substitute other data sources to obtain the employment statistics described in those clauses, subject to the condition that the Secretary provides to Congress a report describing the new data source used by the Secretary. Of the amounts made available for each fiscal year to carry out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 40 percent is used to provide assistance to eligible recipients for activities that benefit the local outdoor recreation sector. Of the amounts made available for each fiscal year to carry out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 20 percent is used to provide assistance to eligible recipients located in, or that serve, a rural area (as defined in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1991(a) )), with a particular focus on rural areas that are located in distressed or underserved communities. If there are not sufficient qualified eligible recipients located in, or that serve, a rural area (as so defined), to carry out paragraph (1), the Secretary may waive the requirement under that paragraph. Of the amounts made available for each fiscal year to carry out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 5 percent is used to provide assistance to eligible recipients that are Indian tribes, tribal organizations (as defined in section 3 of the NATIVE Act ( 25 U.S.C. 4352 )), and Native Hawaiian organizations (as defined in that section). If there are not sufficient qualified eligible recipients that are Indian tribes, tribal organizations (as so defined), or Native Hawaiian organizations (as so defined) to carry out paragraph (1), the Secretary may waive the requirement under that paragraph. . Section 204(c) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 ( 42 U.S.C. 3144(c) ) (as amended by section 3(2)(B)) is amended— in paragraph (1), by striking In the case and inserting Except as provided in paragraph (6), in the case ; and by adding at the end the following: In the case of a grant to an Indian tribe, a tribal organization (as defined in section 3 of the NATIVE Act ( 25 U.S.C. 4352 )), or a Native Hawaiian organization (as defined in that section) for a project under section 219, the Federal share of the cost of the project shall be 100 percent. . The table of contents contained in section 1(b) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (79 Stat. 552; 112 Stat. 3597; 118 Stat. 1767) is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 218 the following: Sec. 219. Hospitality and Outdoor-Recreation Supporting Tourism

(HOST)grants. .

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