text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Native American Challenge 
  Demonstration Project Act of 2007''.
  
  SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
  
      The purposes of this Act are to--
              (1) adapt the lessons of foreign aid to underdeveloped 
          economies, such as the experience of the Millennium Challenge 
          Corporation, to the provision of Federal economic development 
          assistance to similarly situated remote Native American 
          communities;
              (2) provide Federal economic development assistance for 
          Native communities through the Native American Challenge 
          Demonstration Project;
              (3) administer Federal economic development assistance in a 
          manner that promotes economic growth and the elimination of 
          poverty and strengthens good governance, entrepreneurship, and 
          investment in Native communities;
              (4) improve the effectiveness of Federal economic 
          development assistance by encouraging the integration and 
          coordination of such assistance in Native American communities;
              (5) promote sustainable economic growth and poverty 
          reduction policies in Native American communities in a manner 
          that promotes self-determination and self-sufficiency among 
          remote Native American communities while preserving their 
          cultural values; and
              (6) establish a demonstration project which, if successful, 
          may be broadly applied to other Native American communities in 
          the United States.
  
  SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) Eligible entity.--The term `` eligible entity'' means--
                      (A) the Association of Village Council Presidents, 
                  the Bristol Bay Native Association, and the Alaska 
                  Federation of Natives applying jointly;
                      (B) in the State of Hawaii, a consortia of local 
                  Native Hawaiian community organizations to be 
                  determined by the Secretary in consultation with the 
                  Secretary of Interior and the Office of Hawaiian 
                  Affairs; and
                      (C) in the contiguous states, up to three 
                  organizations to be determined by the Secretary in 
                  consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, which 
                  organizations may be Indian tribes, consortia of Indian 
                  tribes, or nongovernmental entities authorized by one 
                  or more Indian tribes.
              (2) Compact.--The term ``compact'' means a binding 
          agreement with the United States pursuant to this Act.
              (3) Economic development strategy of the eligible entity.--
          The term ``economic development strategy of the eligible 
          entity'' means a strategy written by the eligible entity and 
          designed to achieve sustainable economic growth and reduce 
          poverty over a defined period, developed in consultation with 
          public and private sector entities as appropriate to the 
          geographic area and intended beneficiaries of the compact.
              (4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' shall have the 
          meaning given the term in section 4(e) of the Indian Self 
          Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450 et 
          seq.).
              (5) Renewal.--The term ``renewal'' means the negotiated 
          extension of a compact.
              (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
          of Commerce, Office of the Secretary.
  
  SEC. 4. NATIVE AMERICAN MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
  
      (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and implement a 
  demonstration project in the Department of Commerce.
      (b) Authorization of Assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
  assistance under this section to an eligible entity that enters a 
  compact with the United States pursuant to this Act.
      (c) Form of Assistance.--Assistance under this section--
              (1) shall be provided in the form of funding agreements 
          established by the compacts;
              (2) may not be provided in the form of loans; and
              (3) may not be used for gaming activities pursuant to the 
          Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 USC 2701 et seq.).
      (d) Coordination.--
              (1) In general.--The provision of assistance under this 
          section shall be coordinated with other Federal economic 
          development assistance programs for Native Americans.
              (2) Integrated funding.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
          other Secretaries as appropriate, shall, upon execution of a 
          compact with an eligible entity, authorize the eligible entity 
          to coordinate its federally funded economic development 
          assistance programs in a manner that integrates the program 
          services into a single, coordinated program.
              (3) Agencies and departments.--The Federal agencies and 
          departments administering economic development assistance 
          programs for Native Americans are the following:
                      (A) Department of Agriculture.
                      (B) Department of Commerce.
                      (C) Department of Energy.
                      (D) Department of Health and Human Services.
                      (E) Department of Housing and Urban Development.
                      (F) Department of the Interior.
                      (G) Small Business Administration.
                      (H) Such other Federal agencies and 
                  instrumentalities as the Secretary determines 
                  appropriate.
      (e) Programs Affected.--The programs that may be integrated 
  pursuant to this Act shall include any program under which an Indian 
  tribe is eligible for receipt of funds under a statutory or 
  administrative formula for economic development purposes.
      (f) Waiver Authority.--Upon receipt of the executed compact, the 
  Secretary shall consult with the eligible entity and the Secretary of 
  each Federal agency or department providing funds to be used to 
  implement the compact in order to identify any waivers of statutory 
  requirements or applicable regulations, policies, or procedures 
  necessary to enable the eligible entity to implement its compact.
  
  SEC. 5. NATIVE AMERICAN CHALLENGE COMPACTS.
  
      (a) Compacts.--The Secretary shall develop and recommend procedures 
  for considering proposals for compacts submitted by eligible entities. 
  The Secretary may provide assistance to an eligible entity only if the 
  eligible entity enters into an agreement with the United States, to be 
  known as a ``Native American Challenge Compact'', that establishes a 
  multi-year plan for achieving development objectives in furtherance of 
  the purposes of this Act.
      (b) Eligible Entities-Criteria for Selection.--The Secretary shall 
  develop an application process and criteria for selecting the eligible 
  entities, taking into account--
              (1) the purposes of this Act;
              (2) the economic development strategy of the eligible 
          entity;
              (3) the remoteness of the reservation or community to be 
          served;
              (4) its general economic status;
              (5) poverty rates; and
              (6) the capacity of the applicant.
      (c) Assistance for Development of a Compact.--To the extent that 
  funds have been appropriated in advance and are available for this 
  section, the Secretary may enter into contracts with or make grants to 
  any eligible entity for the purposes of facilitating the development 
  and implementation of a compact between the United States and the 
  eligible entity.
      (d) Duration and Extension.--The term of an initial compact may not 
  exceed five years. An eligible entity and the United States may enter 
  into one or more subsequent compacts in accordance with the 
  requirements of this Act. If a compact is nearing its expiration or has 
  expired, the eligible entity and the United States may renegotiate or 
  extend the compact for as many periods as the parties agree, with each 
  period not exceeding 10 years.
      (e) Application.--The Secretary shall develop and recommend 
  procedures for considering proposals for compacts submitted by eligible 
  entities.
      (f) Elements.--In furtherance of the economic development strategy 
  of the eligible entity, the compact shall contain--
              (1) a description of the specific objectives for 
          sustainable economic development and the reduction of poverty 
          that the eligible entity and the United States expect to 
          achieve during the term of the compact;
              (2) a description of the respective roles and 
          responsibilities of the eligible entity and the United States 
          in the achievement of such objectives;
              (3) a list and description of regular benchmarks to measure 
          progress toward achieving such objectives;
              (4) an identification of the intended beneficiaries, 
          disaggregated by income level, gender, and age, to the maximum 
          extent practical; and
              (5) a multi-year financial plan to guide the implementation 
          of the compact, including the estimated level of funding and 
          other contributions by the United States and the eligible 
          entity, proposed mechanisms to execute the plan, and periodic 
          assessments to determine whether the requirements of 
          subparagraphs (1) through (4) are being met.
      (g) Suspension and Termination of Assistance.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary may suspend or terminate 
          assistance in whole or in part for an entity that has entered a 
          compact with the United States if the Secretary determines 
          that--
                      (A) the entity has failed to adhere to its 
                  responsibilities under the compact, or
                      (B) the entity has engaged in a pattern of actions 
                  inconsistent with the purposes of this Act.
      (h) Reinstatement.--The Secretary may reinstate assistance for an 
  entity only if the Secretary determines that the entity has 
  demonstrated a commitment to correcting each condition for which 
  assistance was suspended or terminated under subsection (f).
  
  SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  
      (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
  out this Act $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 
  Any funds authorized but not appropriated may be appropriated in 
  subsequent fiscal years, provided that the cumulative level of funds 
  authorized to be appropriated for Fiscal Year 2008 through 2012 shall 
  not exceed $100,000,000. Sums appropriated under this section shall 
  remain available until expended.
      (b) Administrative Funds.--Of the funds made available by this Act, 
  no more than 5 percent may be used by the Secretary for administrative 
  expenses and program oversight.
  
  SEC. 7. PROGRAM ASSESSMENTS AND REPORTS.
  
      (a) Reports of Eligible Entities.--Not later than March 15, 2008, 
  and annually thereafter, each the eligible entity shall prepare and 
  submit to the Secretary a written report regarding the assistance 
  provided under this Act during the previous fiscal year.
      (b) Report Contents.--A report required under subsection (a) shall 
  include the following:
              (1) The amount of obligations and expenditures for 
          assistance provided during the prior fiscal year.
              (2) A description of the programs and activities conducted 
          by the entity in furtherance of its economic development 
          strategy and the purposes of this Act.
              (3) An assessment of the effectiveness of the assistance 
          provided and progress made by the entity toward achieving its 
          economic development strategy and the purposes of this Act.
              (4) Other information the eligible entity considers 
          relevant considering the purposes of this Act.
      (c) Transmittal to Congress.--Not later than May 15, 2008, and 
  annually thereafter, the Secretary shall transmit reports required 
  under subsection (a), with such other information the Secretary 
  considers relevant, to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the 
  Committee on Natural Resources in the House of Representatives, and the 
  Committee on Indian Affairs, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
  Transportation, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in 
  the Senate.
target: Native American Challenge Demonstration Project Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and implement the Native American Challenge Demonstration Project through which federal economic development assistance may be provided for certain Native American communities. Authorizes the Secretary to provide such assistance to eligible entities that enter into Native American Challenge Compacts with the United States pursuant to this Act.
  
  Requires that Compacts establish a multi-year plan for achieving development objectives in furthering the purposes of this Act, including to adapt the lessons of foreign aid to underdeveloped economies to the provision of federal economic development assistance to similarly situated remote Native American communities.
feat_title: To adapt the lessons of foreign aid to underdeveloped economies to the provision of Federal economic development assistance to similarly situated remote Native American communities, and for other purposes.