Bill Text: HI SB926 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating To Transient Accommodations Tax.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-01-29 - Referred to EET/PSM, WAM. [SB926 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2021-SB926-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	926
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

rELATING TO TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the global respiratory disease pandemic named "coronavirus disease 2019", or COVID-19, has deeply impacted Hawaii's health and economy.  The State and counties have implemented several measures to mitigate virus spread, such as stay-at-home orders, a mandatory fourteen-day quarantine for travelers, and the closing of all nonessential businesses.  However, these virus mitigation efforts as well as the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly affected Hawaii's tourism industry.  As of September 2020, Hawaii has experienced a 71.7 per cent decrease in the number of visitors by air compared to 2019.

     The legislature further finds that the significant decrease in visitors to Hawaii has resulted in an extreme loss in revenues from the State's transient accommodations tax which is imposed on gross rental proceeds from transient accommodations, such as hotel rooms; the fair market value of time share vacation units; and the gross receipts of transient accommodations brokers, travel agents, and tour packagers arranging to furnish transient accommodations at noncommissioned negotiated contract rates.  According to the department of business, economic development, and tourism, transient accommodations tax revenues decreased by $103,300,000 or 68.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter of 2019.  Whereas, in the first half of 2020, transient accommodations tax revenues decreased by $73,300,000 or 23.1 per cent compared to the previous year.  As a result of decreased revenues, the legislature believes that the transient accommodation tax allocations should be adjusted.

     The purpose of this Act is to repeal the allocation of excess transient accommodations tax revenues to the Turtle Bay conservation easement special fund, for the operation of a Hawaiian center and the museum of Hawaiian music and dance, to the counties, and to the special land and development fund.

     SECTION 2.  Section 87A-42, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§87A-42  Other post-employment benefits trust.  (a)  Notwithstanding sections 87A-31 and 87A-31.5, the board, upon terms and conditions set by the board, shall establish and administer a separate trust fund for the purpose of receiving employer contributions that will prefund other post-employment health and other benefit plan costs for retirees and their beneficiaries.  The separate trust fund shall meet the requirements of the Government Accounting Standards Board regarding other post-employment benefits trusts.  The board shall establish and maintain a separate account for each public employer within the separate trust fund to accept and account for each public employer's contributions.  Employer contributions to the separate trust fund shall be irrevocable, all assets of the fund shall be dedicated exclusively to providing health and other benefits to retirees and their beneficiaries, and assets of the fund shall not be subject to appropriation for any other purpose and shall not be subject to claims by creditors of the employers or the board or plan administrator.  The board's powers under section 87A-24 shall also apply to the fund established pursuant to this section.

     (b)  Public employer contributions shall be paid into the fund in each fiscal year, and commencing with the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the amount of the annual public employer contribution shall be equal to the amount of the annual required contribution, as determined by an actuary retained by the board.

     (c)  In any fiscal year subsequent to the 2017-2018 fiscal year in which the state public employer's contributions into the fund are less than the amount of the annual required contribution, the amount that represents the excess of the annual required contribution over the state public employer's contributions shall be deposited into the appropriate account of the separate trust fund from a portion of all general excise tax revenues collected by the department of taxation under section 237-31.

     If any general excise tax revenues are deposited into the separate trust fund in any fiscal year as a result of this subsection, the director of finance shall notify the legislature and governor whether the general fund expenditure ceiling for that fiscal year would have been exceeded if those revenues had been legislatively appropriated instead of deposited without appropriation into the trust fund.  The notification shall be submitted within thirty days following the end of the applicable fiscal year.

     [(d)  In any fiscal year subsequent to the 2017-2018 fiscal year in which a county public employer's contributions into the fund are less than the amount of the annual required contribution, the amount that represents the excess of the annual required contribution over the county public employer's contributions shall be deposited into the fund from a portion of all transient accommodations tax revenues collected by the department of taxation under section 237D-6.5(b)(4).  The director of finance shall deduct the amount necessary to meet the county public employer's annual required contribution from the revenues derived under section 237D-6.5(b)(4) and transfer the amount to the board for deposit into the appropriate account of the separate trust fund.]

     [(e)] (d)  In any fiscal year subsequent to fiscal year 2017-2018 in which a public employer's contributions into the fund are less than the amount of the annual required contribution and the public employer is not entitled to transient accommodations tax revenues sufficient to satisfy the total amount of the annual required contribution, the public employer's contributions shall be deposited into the fund from portions of any other revenues collected on behalf of the public employer or held by the State.  The director of finance shall deduct the amount necessary to meet the public employer's annual required contribution from any revenues collected on behalf of the public employer held by the State and transfer the amount to the board for deposit into the appropriate account of the separate trust fund.

     [(f)] (e)  For the purposes of this section, "annual required contribution" means a public employer's required contribution to the trust fund established in this section that is sufficient to cover:

     (1)  The normal cost, which is the cost of other post-employment benefits attributable to the current year of service; and

     (2)  An amortization payment, which is a catch-up payment for past service costs to fund the unfunded actuarial accrued liability over the next thirty years."

     SECTION 3.  Section 171-19, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

     "(a)  There is created in the department a special fund to be designated as the "special land and development fund".  Subject to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended, and section 5(f) of the Admission Act of 1959, all proceeds of sale of public lands, including interest on deferred payments; all moneys collected under section 171-58 for mineral and water rights; all rents from leases, licenses, and permits derived from public lands; all moneys collected from lessees of public lands within industrial parks; all fees, fines, and other administrative charges collected under this chapter and chapter 183C; a portion of the highway fuel tax collected under chapter 243; all moneys collected by the department for the commercial use of public trails and trail accesses under the jurisdiction of the department; [transient accommodations tax revenues collected pursuant to section 237D-6.5(b)(5);] and private contributions for the management, maintenance, and development of trails and accesses shall be set apart in the fund and shall be used only as authorized by the legislature for the following purposes:

     (1)  To reimburse the general fund of the State for advances made that are required to be reimbursed from the proceeds derived from sales, leases, licenses, or permits of public lands;

     (2)  For the planning, development, management, operations, or maintenance of all lands and improvements under the control and management of the board pursuant to title 12, including but not limited to permanent or temporary staff positions who may be appointed without regard to chapter 76; [provided that transient accommodations tax revenues allocated to the fund shall be expended as provided in section 237D-6.5(b)(5);]

     (3)  To repurchase any land, including improvements, in the exercise by the board of any right of repurchase specifically reserved in any patent, deed, lease, or other documents or as provided by law;

     (4)  For the payment of all appraisal fees; provided that all fees reimbursed to the board shall be deposited in the fund;

     (5)  For the payment of publication notices as required under this chapter; provided that all or a portion of the expenditures may be charged to the purchaser or lessee of public lands or any interest therein under rules adopted by the board;

     (6)  For the management, maintenance, and development of trails and trail accesses under the jurisdiction of the department;

     (7)  For the payment to private land developers who have contracted with the board for development of public lands under section 171-60;

     (8)  For the payment of debt service on revenue bonds issued by the department, and the establishment of debt service and other reserves deemed necessary by the board;

     (9)  To reimburse the general fund for debt service on general obligation bonds issued to finance departmental projects, where the bonds are designated to be reimbursed from the special land and development fund;

    (10)  For the protection, planning, management, and regulation of water resources under chapter 174C; and

    (11)  For other purposes of this chapter."

     SECTION 4.  Section 171-171, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:

     "(c)  The reimbursable general obligation bonds issued to acquire the conservation easement and other real property interests shall be payable from [the transient accommodations tax revenues allocated to the Turtle Bay conservation easement special fund established by section 171-172 and from] moneys from the land conservation fund.  The [transient accommodations tax revenues and] moneys from the land conservation fund are and shall be deemed user taxes.  The revenues allocated shall be deemed user taxes pursuant to chapter 39 for the undertaking."

     SECTION 5.  Section 171-172, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "(b)  [Transient accommodations tax revenues allocated to the Turtle Bay conservation easement special fund pursuant to section 237D-6.5 and moneys] Moneys from the land conservation fund shall be deposited into the special fund.  All interest earned on the moneys in the special fund shall be credited to the special fund."

     SECTION 6.  Section 184-3.4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

     "(a)  There is established within the state treasury a fund to be known as the state parks special fund, into which shall be deposited[:

     (1)  All] all proceeds collected by the state parks programs involving park user fees, any leases or concession agreements, the sale of any article purchased from the department to benefit the state parks programs, or any gifts or contributions; provided that proceeds derived from the operation of Iolani Palace shall be used to supplement its educational and interpretive programs[; and

     (2)  Transient accommodations tax revenues pursuant to section 237D-6.5; provided that these moneys shall be expended in response to a master plan developed in coordination with the Hawaii tourism authority]."

     SECTION 7.  Section 198D-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows:

     1.  By amending subsection (b) to read:

     "(b)  The trail and access program shall use funding for the management, maintenance, and development of trails and trail accesses under the jurisdiction of the department from the following sources:

     (1)  A portion of the highway fuel taxes collected under chapter 243;

     (2)  Federal government grants;

     (3)  Private contributions; and

     (4)  Fees, established pursuant to administrative rules and charged by the department for the commercial and other use of trails and trail accesses under the jurisdiction of the department[; and

     (5)  Transient accommodations tax revenues pursuant to section 237D-6.5]."

     2.  By amending subsection (d) to read:

     "(d)  The moneys specified in subsection (b)(1), (3), and (4)[, and (5)] shall be deposited in the special land and development fund under section 171-19 for the management, maintenance, and development of trails and trail accesses under the jurisdiction of the department[; provided that the moneys specified in subsection (b)(5) shall be expended for the management, maintenance, and development of trails and access areas frequented by visitors in response to a master plan developed in coordination with the Hawaii tourism authority]."

     SECTION 8.  Section 237D-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§237D-6.5  Remittances; distribution to counties.  (a)  All remittances of taxes imposed under this chapter shall be made by cash, bank drafts, cashier's check, money order, or certificate of deposit to the office of the taxation district to which the return was transmitted.

     (b)  Except for the revenues collected pursuant to section 237D-2(e), revenues collected under this chapter shall be distributed in the following priority, with the excess revenues to be deposited into the general fund:

    [(1)  $1,500,000 shall be allocated to the Turtle Bay conservation easement special fund beginning July 1, 2015, for the reimbursement to the state general fund of debt service on reimbursable general obligation bonds, including ongoing expenses related to the issuance of the bonds, the proceeds of which were used to acquire the conservation easement and other real property interests in Turtle Bay, Oahu, for the protection, preservation, and enhancement of natural resources important to the State, until the bonds are fully amortized;]

    [(2)] (1)  $16,500,000 shall be allocated to the convention center enterprise special fund established under section 201B-8; and

    [(3)] (2)  $79,000,000 shall be allocated to the tourism special fund established under section 201B-11; provided that:

         [(A)  Beginning on July 1, 2012, and ending on June 30, 2015, $2,000,000 shall be expended from the tourism special fund for development and implementation of initiatives to take advantage of expanded visa programs and increased travel opportunities for international visitors to Hawaii;

      (B)](A)  Of the $79,000,000 allocated[:],

              (i)  $1,000,000 shall be allocated for the operation of a Hawaiian center and the museum of Hawaiian music and dance; and

            (ii)]  0.5 per cent of the $79,000,000 shall be transferred to a sub-account in the tourism special fund to provide funding for a safety and security budget, in accordance with the Hawaii tourism strategic plan 2005-2015; and

     [(C)](B)  Of the revenues remaining in the tourism special fund after revenues have been deposited as provided in this paragraph and except for any sum authorized by the legislature for expenditure from revenues subject to this paragraph, beginning July 1, 2007, funds shall be deposited into the tourism emergency special fund, established in section 201B-10, in a manner sufficient to maintain a fund balance of $5,000,000 in the tourism emergency special fund[;

     (4)  $103,000,000 shall be allocated as follows:  Kauai county shall receive 14.5 per cent, Hawaii county shall receive 18.6 per cent, city and county of Honolulu shall receive 44.1 per cent, and Maui county shall receive 22.8 per cent; provided that commencing with fiscal year 2018-2019, a sum that represents the difference between a county public employer's annual required contribution for the separate trust fund established under section 87A-42 and the amount of the county public employer's contributions into that trust fund shall be retained by the state director of finance and deposited to the credit of the county public employer's annual required contribution into that trust fund in each fiscal year, as provided in section 87A-42, if the respective county fails to remit the total amount of the county's required annual contributions, as required under section 87A-43; and

     (5)  $3,000,000 shall be allocated to the special land and development fund established under section 171-19; provided that the allocation shall be expended in accordance with the Hawaii tourism authority strategic plan for:

          (A)  The protection, preservation, maintenance, and enhancement of natural resources, including beaches, important to the visitor industry;

          (B)  Planning, construction, and repair of facilities; and

          (C)  Operation and maintenance costs of public lands, including beaches, connected with enhancing the visitor experience].

     All transient accommodations taxes shall be paid into the state treasury each month within ten days after collection and shall be kept by the state director of finance in special accounts for distribution as provided in this subsection.

     As used in this subsection, "fiscal year" means the twelve-month period beginning on July 1 of a calendar year and ending on June 30 of the following calendar year.

     [(c)  On or before January or July 1 of each year or after the disposition of any tax appeal with respect to an assessment for periods after June 30, 1990, the state director of finance shall compute and pay the amount due as provided in subsection (b) to the director of finance of each county to become a general realization of the county expendable as such, except as otherwise provided by law.]"

     SECTION 9.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 10.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2021.

 

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

 

 

Report Title:

Transient Accommodations Tax; Repeal of Certain Allocations

 

Description:

Repeals the allocation of excess transient accommodations tax revenues to the Turtle Bay conservation easement special fund, for the operation of a Hawaiian center and the museum of Hawaiian music and dance, to the counties, and to the special land and development fund.

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.