Committee discusses HB1581 tribal tourism grant appropriation; opts to seek more details

Members of the Appropriations — Government Operations Division briefly reviewed House Bill 1581, which would appropriate $100,000 from the general fund to the Department of Commerce for tribal tourism grants.

The bill would allow tribal governments or the state to apply for grants of up to $20,000 to match funds committed by a tribal government to promote tribal nation tourism projects. "It's simply, taking a hundred thousand dollars of general fund money to the Department of Commerce for the purpose of providing tribal tourism grants," the committee chair said during the discussion.

Senator Dwyer told the panel he had confirmed with Commerce staff that tribes are eligible for the tourism destination grants and that one tribal recipient had already received a destination grant in the current biennium. Committee members noted the House policy committee had altered the appropriation amount during prior consideration and referenced earlier committee and floor tallies reported to the panel.

Members discussed whether to pass the bill as a standalone appropriation or to roll the funding into the Commerce department’s budget or the tourism destination grants program. Several members said they wanted to consult Commerce staff and Representative Sarah Coleman before taking action; one member said the panel could still schedule a conference committee if needed.

The committee took no final vote on HB1581 at the meeting and opted to hold the item for further review with Commerce staff.