Bill Text: PA HR74 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study local hotel room taxes that support county and regional tourism marketing and convention centers and to determine if revenues are being appropriated in accordance with applicable statutes.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 9-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-02-15 - Referred to FINANCE [HR74 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HR74-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 680
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 74 Session of2011
INTRODUCED BY BARRAR, BOBACK, BOYD, CALTAGIRONE, D. COSTA, DENLINGER, GEIST, GROVE, MILLER, MURPHY, MURT AND RAPP, FEBRUARY 15, 2011
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, FEBRUARY 15, 2011
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study
local hotel room taxes that support county and regional
tourism marketing and convention centers and to determine if
revenues are being appropriated in accordance with applicable
statutes.
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has enacted a number of laws
authorizing local taxes on hotel room occupancy to fund the
marketing and promotion of business and leisure travel and the
construction and operation of convention centers; and
WHEREAS, Local convention center authorities and tourist
promotion agencies depend on local hotel room taxes as a
critical source of revenue for activities relating to tourism
and convention centers; and
WHEREAS, The General Assembly has set guidelines on the uses
of the tax revenue in statutes authorizing local hotel room
taxes; and
WHEREAS, Since local hotel room tax authority was extended to
all 67 counties in 2000, there have been reports of the revenue
being used or being proposed for use on programs other than
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promoting and marketing tourism and for convention centers; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, The County Code was amended to clarify that
local hotel room tax revenues must be earmarked for tourism and
for other limited purposes as specified by law; and
WHEREAS, The appropriate spending of local hotel room tax
revenue as required by law is an efficient and cost-effective
expenditure of tax dollars that benefits not only local and
regional economies but the economy of this Commonwealth as a
whole; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
be directed to conduct a study of the Commonwealth's local hotel
room taxes to determine if revenues are being directed to the
proper agencies and are being appropriated in accordance with
statute; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
study include all local hotel room taxes in the following
statutes:
(1) The act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known
as The County Code.
(2) The provisions of 53 Pa.C.S. (relating to
municipalities generally).
(3) The provisions of 64 Pa.C.S. (relating to public
authorities and quasi-public corporations).
(4) The act of December 21, 1998 (P.L.1307, No.174),
known as the Community and Economic Improvement Act;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
report all findings to the House of Representatives no later
than November 30, 2011.
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