The Government and Veterans Affairs Committee amended House Bill 1581, a state grant proposal for Native American tourism, to reduce the original request and add accountability requirements. Under the committee amendment, the state would provide matching grants up to $100,000 total with a cap of up to $20,000 per tribal government; the program would be administered by the Department of Commerce's tourism and marketing division, require a submitted tourism plan for each grant, include reporting to Legislative Management, and include a two-year sunset.

Representative Brown, the bill sponsor, told the committee she favored the larger original request but said the group should consider a lower amount to improve the bill's chances given appropriations timing. "I think we should lower the amount, so that it can pass being that we missed the appropriations deadlines," Brown said. Several members pressed for matching funds and oversight. Representative Van Winkle recommended a match requirement so tribes would have “skin in the game,” and Representative Rohrer suggested requiring a tourism plan and a follow-up report to the Legislature.

Committee members also discussed the timing of tourism events in 2026 — including national gatherings and the Theodore Roosevelt library opening — as reasons why seed funding could leverage visitor interest to multiple venues. Opponents raised budgetary restraint concerns; Representative Steiner said he could not support any appropriation while mindful of constituent pressure to reduce the state budget.

The committee approved the amendment by roll call (recorded as 10 yes, 0 no with four members not recorded as voting in that roll) and then gave the amended bill a due-pass recommendation; the due-pass roll call recorded 9 yes, 2 no, 3 not voting (as reported in the committee roll). Committee staff said if the bill requires appropriations, it will be sent to the appropriations process. Members asked Legislative Council to prepare an LC amendment incorporating the match, oversight, plan requirement and a two-year sunset so the committee could move the amended bill to the floor and, if needed, to appropriations.

The amended bill directs the tourism and marketing division to administer matching grants, requires each applicant to submit a plan as part of the application, sets reporting to legislative management and creates a two-year sunset provision. Committee members described the funds as a seed investment to leverage broader tourism activity across the state and particularly around 2026 events.