Healthy and Safe Travel Promotion Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7920 To provide grants and direct funding for promotion of tourism and healthy and safe travel practices in areas recovering from the Coronavirus Dis- ease 2019 (COVID–19), and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 31, 2020 Ms. TITUS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Oversight and Reform, for a period to be sub- sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To provide grants and direct funding for promotion of tour- ism and healthy and safe travel practices in areas recov- ering from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19), and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthy and Safe 4 Travel Promotion Act of 2020’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:18 Aug 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7920.IH H7920 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7920 IH SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR PROMOTING TOURISM AND HEALTHY 1 TRAVEL. 2 Title II of the Public Works and Economic Develop- 3 ment Act of 1965 is amended by adding at the end the 4 following: 5 ‘‘SEC. 219. TOURISM AND HEALTHY TRAVEL PROMOTION. 6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 7 grants to eligible entities to assist with economic recovery 8 in communities affected by declines in travel and tourism 9 as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19). 10 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligible to re- 11 ceive grants under this section shall be an entity that is 12 responsible for marketing, selling, or promoting visitation 13 to a community, region, or State, including— 14 ‘‘(1) a State tourism office; 15 ‘‘(2) a political subdivision or instrumentality of 16 a State or local government; 17 ‘‘(3) a Tribal government; and 18 ‘‘(4) a nonprofit organization. 19 ‘‘(c) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 20 the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 21 establish a process under which the Secretary may receive 22 applications and make grants to eligible entities in accord- 23 ance with this section. 24 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 25 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:18 Aug 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7920.IH H7920 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7920 IH Secretary an application in such form, in such manner, 1 and containing such information as the Secretary may re- 2 quire. 3 ‘‘(e) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select eligible 4 entities to receive grants under this section based on fac- 5 tors to be determined by the Secretary, using the best 6 available data, including the decline in visitation and asso- 7 ciated economic losses in a region as a result of COVID– 8 19, and the amount of real or forecast revenue lost by 9 an eligible entity as a result of COVID–19. 10 ‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall use 11 grant funds provided under this section to— 12 ‘‘(1) pay costs associated with tourism mar- 13 keting and promotion activities necessary to assist 14 with declines in visitation as a result of COVID–19; 15 ‘‘(2) pay costs associated with providing infor- 16 mation to visitors about the health and safety pro- 17 tections, guidance or requirements of Federal, State 18 or local governments and businesses to reduce the 19 spread of COVID–19; 20 ‘‘(3) pay the increased costs of sanitation or 21 cleaning to provide for a safer environment at a con- 22 vention center, large event space, or community at- 23 traction; or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:18 Aug 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7920.IH H7920 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7920 IH ‘‘(4) pay the costs of salaries and expenses as- 1 sociated with the operations of the eligible entity 2 with respect to activities described in subparagraphs 3 (A), (B), and (C). 4 ‘‘(g) WAIVER.— 5 ‘‘(1) LONG-TERM PLANNING.—Sections 6 209(b)(2) and 204 shall not apply for purposes of 7 providing grants under this section. 8 ‘‘(2) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may 9 waive, or specify alternative requirements for, any 10 provision of any statute or regulation that the Sec- 11 retary administers in connection with a grant under 12 this section if the Secretary determines that any 13 such waivers or alternative requirements are nec- 14 essary to expedite or facilitate the use of the 15 amounts made available under this section. 16 ‘‘(h) FEDERAL SHARE.—Notwithstanding section 17 204, the Federal share of the cost of an activity carried 18 out with a grant under this section shall be 100 percent. 19 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 20 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for fiscal 21 year 2021 to carry out this section $5,000,000,000, to re- 22 main available until expended.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:18 Aug 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7920.IH H7920 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7920 IH SEC. 3. DIRECT FUNDING PROMOTING TOURISM AND 1 HEALTHY TRAVEL. 2 Section 601 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 3 801) is amended— 4 (1) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘A State, 5 Tribal government, and unit of local government’’ 6 and inserting ‘‘Subject to subsection (h), a State, 7 Tribal government, and unit of local government’’; 8 and 9 (2) by adding at the end the following: 10 ‘‘(h) ELIGIBILITY.—A State, Tribal government, and 11 unit of local government may use funds provided under 12 a payment made under this section to cover expenditures 13 of the recipient that— 14 ‘‘(1) are made to assist with the economic re- 15 covery of an area impacted by a decline in travel and 16 tourism as a result of COVID–19; 17 ‘‘(2) are associated with marketing or pro- 18 moting travel or tourism to the recipient’s area, in- 19 cluding costs associated with— 20 ‘‘(A) educating visitors about local tourism 21 opportunities and health and safety guidelines; 22 ‘‘(B) marketing tourism opportunities, con- 23 vention facilities, and group meeting space that 24 are made available in accordance with applica- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:18 Aug 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7920.IH H7920 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7920 IH ble State, local, or Tribal government require- 1 ments; or 2 ‘‘(C) provide information to visitors or po- 3 tential visitors regarding the health and safety 4 practices of regional businesses or attractions to 5 protect public health; and 6 ‘‘(3) were incurred during the period that be- 7 gins on the date of enactment of the Healthy and 8 Safe Travel Promotion Act of 2020 and ends on De- 9 cember 31, 2021.’’. 10 SEC. 4. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS 11 USE OF FUNDS. 12 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for pur- 13 poses of funds provided under the heading ‘‘Economic De- 14 velopment Administration—Economic Development As- 15 sistance Programs’’ under title II of division B of the 16 CARES Act (Public Law 116–136), tourism and mar- 17 keting promotion activities (including educating visitors 18 about local tourism opportunities and health and safety 19 guidelines, marketing tourism opportunities, convention 20 facilities, and group meeting space that are made available 21 in accordance with applicable State or local government 22 requirements, and providing information to visitors or po- 23 tential visitors regarding the health and safety practices 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:18 Aug 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7920.IH H7920 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 7920 IH of regional businesses or attractions to protect public 1 health) shall be considered an eligible use of such funds. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:18 Aug 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7920.IH H7920 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS