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II
117TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 307
To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to
authorize the Secretary of Commerce to make grants for travel pro-
motion, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 8, 2021
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 amend the Public Works and Economic Development
Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Commerce
to make grants for travel promotion, and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. GRANTS FOR ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 209 of the Public Works
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and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3149)
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is amended—
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(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘travel pro-
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motion (including funding for tourism marketing,
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•S 307 IS
marketing research, purchasing advertisements, and
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attracting business meetings or convention travel),’’
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after ‘‘technical assistance, training,’’; and
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(2) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ‘‘and trav-
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el promotion’’ after ‘‘planning projects’’.
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(b) COST SHARING.—Section 204(c) of the Public
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Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42
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U.S.C. 3144(c)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
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lowing:
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‘‘(4)
SPECIAL
RULE
FOR
TRAVEL
PRO-
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MOTION.—In the case of a grant for travel pro-
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motion under section 209(a), the Secretary may in-
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crease the Federal share above the percentage speci-
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fied in subsection (a) up to 100 percent of the cost
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of the project.’’.
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(c) GRANT AMOUNT.—Notwithstanding any other
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provision of law, a grant made with amounts made avail-
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able under subsection (e) may be in an amount that is
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not more than 75 percent of the difference in revenue of
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the eligible entity from 2019 to 2020.
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(d) WAIVER.—Section 209(b)(2) and section 302 of
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the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965
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(42 U.S.C. 3149(b)(2), 3162) shall not apply to a grant
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made with amounts made available under subsection (e).
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(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
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authorized to be appropriated $2,250,000,000 to make
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grants under section 209(a) of the Public Works and Eco-
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nomic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3149(a)) to
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eligible entities for costs associated with tourism mar-
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keting and promotion activities necessary to promote safe
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and healthy travel practices and economic recovery in com-
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munities impacted by a decline in travel and tourism as
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a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19),
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including—
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(1) to pay costs associated with tourism mar-
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keting and promotion activities, including marketing
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research, necessary to assist with declines in visita-
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tion and the economic recovery from lost revenue as
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a result of COVID–19, including to purchase media
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advertisements on print, broadcast, or digital media
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for the purpose of marketing, public awareness, or
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information campaigns relating to local tourism;
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(2) to pay costs associated with providing infor-
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mation to visitors about the health and safety pro-
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tections, guidance, or requirements of Federal,
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State, or local governments and businesses to reduce
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the spread of COVID–19;
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(3) to pay the increased costs of cleaning and
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sanitation, including physical modifications to a con-
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vention center, large event space, or community at-
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traction associated with precautions to provide for
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safe worker, traveler, or event environments; or
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(4) to pay the costs of salaries and expenses as-
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sociated with the operations of the eligible entity,
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other than salaries and expenses of the executives of
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the eligible entity.
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Æ
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