Budget Amendment ID: FY2015-S4-415

ECO 415

Tourism Trust Fund

Mr. Tarr moved that the proposed new text be amended moved that the bill be amended by inserting, after section__, the following new sections:-

“SECTION__. Section 35J of Chapter 10 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 official edition, is hereby repealed in its entirety.

SECTION__. Chapter 23Aof the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 official edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 13S the following sections:-

Section___. (a) There shall be established and overseen by the partnership, as defined under section 13A of Chapter 23A, a fund to be known as the Massachusetts Tourism Trust Fund, hereinafter in this section referred to as the fund, to be held by the partnership separate and apart from its other funds. The fund shall be credited in the following phased-in scale:

(i)1.25 cents of the 5.7 per cent of the room occupancy excise imposed by section 3 of the chapter sixty-four G of the general laws and section twenty-two of chapter five hundred and forty six of the acts of nineteen hundred and sixty-nine in the first year

(ii)1.5 cents of the 5.7 per cent of the room occupancy excise imposed by section 3 of the chapter sixty-four G of the general laws and section twenty-two of chapter five hundred and forty six of the acts of nineteen hundred and sixty-nine in the second year

(iii)1.75 cents of the 5.7 per cent of the room occupancy excise imposed by section 3 of the chapter sixty-four G of the general laws and section twenty-two of chapter five hundred and forty six of the acts of nineteen hundred and sixty-nine in the third year

(iv)2 cents of the 5.7 per cent of the room occupancy excise imposed by section 3 of the chapter sixty-four G of the general laws and section twenty-two of chapter five hundred and forty six of the acts of nineteen hundred and sixty-nine in the fourth year

(b) In addition, the fund shall be credited all revenue as designated for the tourism fund under the gaming licensing fund and gaming revenue fund as established under chapter 23K.

(c) All available monies in the fund that are unexpended at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure by the fund in the subsequent fiscal year.

(d) Monies in said fund shall be applied as follows:

(i) 80 percent to the Massachusetts Marketing Partnership

(ii) 20 percent to regional tourism councils

(e) Said fund shall be overseen and administered by the board of the Massachusetts Marketing Partnership as established by section 13A of Chapter 23A.

(f) The partnership shall submit a report annually on December 31 on the cost-effectiveness of the tourism trust fund to the clerks of the house and senate and the joint committee on tourism, arts and cultural development”