H.R. 4699 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4699 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 21, 2014 Ms. DelBene (for herself, Ms. McCollum, and Mr. Reichert) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000 to require the Secretary of Commerce to prepare and submit to Congress a report and recommendations to promote the sustained economic development of Indian tribes and Indian lands. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Indian Country Economic Revitalization Act of 2014. 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) In 2000, the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act (Public Law 106–464; 25 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.) identified the need for the Federal Government to promote long-range economic development of Indian lands. (2) This law established within the Department of Commerce an office to coordinate Federal programs related to Indian economic development, promote the international trade and export of Indian goods and services, and conduct intertribal tourism demonstration projects. (3) To have additional impact, this law should be amended to expand Federal support for the economic development of Indian tribes and Indian lands. (4) Recent fiscal priorities of the Federal Government have negatively impacted Indian tribes as well as others due to their dependence upon Federal funds. (5) The Federal Government has a trust responsibility to Indian tribes and should support tribal-owned enterprises and Indian-owned businesses by preparing recommendations for Congress on improved statutory measures that support the development of sustainable tribal economies. 3. Report and recommendations to Congress on tribal economic development The Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–464; 25 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.) is amended— (1) by redesignating section 8 as section 9; and (2) by inserting after section 7 the following new section: 8. Report and recommendations to Congress on tribal economic development (a) Reporting Requirement Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Indian Country Economic Revitalization Act of 2014, and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary of Commerce shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate a report and recommendations for promoting the sustained growth of the economies of Indian tribes and Indian lands. In conducting the reports under this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall consult with— (1) the Secretary of the Treasury; (2) the Secretary of the Interior; (3) the Secretary of Agriculture; (4) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration; (5) the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; (6) the heads of other Federal agencies as determined by the Secretary of Commerce; (7) the White House Council on Native American Affairs; and (8) Indian tribes. (b) Contents of Report Each report prepared under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) Data on Indian business development and employment during the 3-year period immediately preceding the date of the submission of the report, except that the first such report shall include data for the 10-year period immediately preceding the date of the submission of such report. Such data shall include, at a minimum— (A) data from each decennial census conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the period covered by the report; and (B) relevant data voluntarily provided by Indian tribes, Indian-owned businesses, and other tribal business entities. (2) An assessment of existing structural advantages and barriers to the economic development of Indian tribes and Indian lands, including an analysis of the economic effect on Indian tribes and Indian lands of the following: (A) Federal judicial decisions and administrative actions authorizing the application of laws of general applicability to economic development activities occurring on Indian lands, in places with respect to which Congress has not expressly authorized such application. (B) Federal judicial decisions and actions by the Internal Revenue Service authorizing the taxation of Indian income and economic development activities within Indian lands in places with respect to which Federal law does not expressly authorize such taxation. (C) Tax incentives in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, including wage credits, accelerated depreciation deductions, tax-exempt bonds, and new market tax credits, including an assessment of how additional new tax incentives such as tribal empowerment zones may impact tribal economic development. (D) Such other related factors that provide an advantage or barrier to economic development on Indian lands. (3) Analysis of Indian access to adequate infrastructure, affordable energy, educational opportunities, and investment capital. (4) Recommendations to Congress on legislation to strengthen the economies of Indian tribes and Indian lands in areas that include— (A) regulatory, tax, and trust reform; and (B) other related areas that promote the findings and purposes provided in section 2. (c) Use of previous studies In conducting the studies under this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall consider any appropriate information contained in previous studies and reports, such as the following: (1) The American Indian Policy Review Commission Final Report, dated May 17, 1977. (2) The Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Indian Reservation Economies, dated November 1984. (3) The Native American Economic Policy Report: Developing Tribal Economies to Create Healthy, Sustainable, and Culturally Vibrant Communities, dated 2007. (4) The report titled Growing Economies in Indian Country: Taking Stock of Progress and Partnerships, dated April 2012. .