FILED ON: 3/7/2012

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4025

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Twelve

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An Act relative to the Massachusetts tourism fund.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.   Chapter 10 Section 35J of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out, in line 6 the words “subject to appropriation by the General Court as follows:” and clauses (a) through (e) and inserting in place thereof the following language:-

“applied to the Office of travel and tourism (Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism) as follows:

(a) fifty percent of which shall be for financial assistance for the tourist promotion agencies under section 14 of 23A; provided further that tourist promotion agencies must first complete a grant application process before monies are distributed

(b) notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraphs or any other general or special law to the contrary, for any fiscal year in which revenues deposited into the Massachusetts Tourism Fund exceed the amounts deposited into said fund in the previous fiscal year, 50 percent of the increase in said revenues shall be applied, subject to appropriation,  to the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, established pursuant to subsection (b) of section 42 of chapter 23G.