Increasing our Nation’s Value through Economic Support and Tourism in Our Communities Act

HR 5517 creates a Capacity Building Grant Program to fund predevelopment activities like planning, community mapping, and feasibility studies, and a HOST (Hospitality and Outdoor-Recreation Supporting Tourism) Grants program to support tourism infrastructure, marketing, and event activities. The bill increases federal funding for Tribal organizations and Native Hawaiian organizations to 100% for HOST grants and sets aside 5% of funding for Tribal communities, 20% for rural areas, and 40% for outdoor recreation. It modifies existing economic development programs to include these new provisions and defines key terms related to tourism and outdoor recreation activities. This legislation directly affects local communities, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and tourism-related businesses seeking federal economic development support.