§101919 National Park Service Concessions Management Advisory Board

Summary

Creates a National Park Service Concessions Management Advisory Board to give the Secretary and the Park Service advice on how to run park concessions. The board must advise on whether concession services and facilities are needed, meet acceptable standards at fair prices without harming park resources, and let concessioners earn a reasonable profit. It must also advise on ways to make concession programs cheaper, faster, and less burdensome. The board will recommend whether the Service should hire private firms for parts of concession management, how to speed up or simplify rate reviews, what counts as Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian handicrafts, and how concession fees should be shared. The board must send one yearly report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The Secretary appoints up to 7 U.S. citizens to staggered terms of no more than 4 years, and they may be removed by the Secretary. Members must not be federal employees or have an interest in a Park Service concession. The 7 members must include people with experience in hospitality, tourism, accounting, outfitting/guide services, a State park concession expert, someone who promotes traditional arts and crafts, and someone from a conservation nonprofit involved in parks. Serving on the board does not count as federal employment for conflict-of-interest or certain benefit laws. The board ends on December 31, 2009, and otherwise follows chapter 10 of title 5.