S-4799.1
FOURTH SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5251
State of Washington
65th Legislature
2018 Regular Session
By Senate Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Takko, Warnick, Rolfes, McCoy, Zeiger, and Chase)
READ FIRST TIME 02/06/18.
AN ACT Relating to tourism marketing; reenacting and amending RCW 43.84.092; adding a new section to chapter 82.08 RCW; adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (1) The legislature finds that the tourism industry is the fourth largest economic sector in the state of Washington and provides general economic benefit to the state. Since 2011 there have been minimal general funds committed to statewide tourism marketing and Washington is the only state without a state-funded tourism marketing program. Before 2011, the amount of funds appropriated to statewide tourism marketing was not significant and, in fact, Washington ranked forty-eighth in state tourism funding. Washington has significant attractions and activities for tourists, including many natural outdoor assets that draw visitors to mountains, waterways, parks, and open spaces. There should be a program to publicize these assets and activities to potential out-of-state visitors that is implemented in an expeditious manner by tourism professionals in the private sector.
(2) The purpose of this act is to establish the framework and funding for a statewide tourism marketing program. The program needs to have a structure that includes significant, stable, long-term funding, and it should be implemented and managed by the tourism industry. The source of funds should be from major sectors of the tourism industry with government assistance in collecting these funds and providing accountability for their expenditure. The dedicated sales tax authorized for contributions made in this chapter will bring direct benefits to those making contributions by bringing more tourists into the state who will patronize the participating businesses and create economic benefit for the state.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  DEFINITIONS. The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Authority" means the Washington tourism marketing authority created in section 3 of this act.
(2) "Board" means the Washington tourism marketing authority board of directors.
(3) "Department" means the department of commerce.
(4) "Director" means the director of the department of commerce.
(5) "Statewide tourism marketing account" means the account created pursuant to section 5 of this act.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  WASHINGTON TOURISM MARKETING AUTHORITY—ESTABLISHED. (1) The Washington tourism marketing authority is established as a public body constituting an instrumentality of the state of Washington.
(2) The authority is responsible for contracting for statewide tourism marketing services that promote tourism on behalf of the citizens of the state, and for managing the authority's financial resources.
(3) The department provides administrative assistance to the authority and serves as the fiscal agent of the authority for moneys appropriated for purposes of the authority.
(4) The authority must create a private local account to receive nonstate funds contributed to the authority for purposes of this chapter.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (1) The authority must be governed by a board of directors. The board of directors must consist of:
(a) Two members and two alternates from the house of representatives, with one member and one alternate appointed from each of the two major caucuses of the house of representatives by the speaker of the house of representatives and the minority leader of the house of representatives;
(b) Two members and two alternates from the senate, with one member and one alternate appointed from each of the two major caucuses of the senate by the majority leader and minority leader of the senate; and
(c) Nine representatives with expertise in the tourism industry and related businesses including, but not limited to, hotel, restaurant, outdoor recreation, attractions, retail, and rental car businesses appointed by the governor.
(2) The initial membership of the authority must be appointed as follows:
(a) By May 1, 2018, each of the two largest caucuses in both the house of representatives and the senate must submit to the governor a list of five nominees who are not legislators or employees of the state or its political subdivisions, with no caucus submitting the same nominee;
(b) The nominations from the largest caucus in the house of representatives must include at least one representative from the restaurant industry and one representative from the rental car industry;
(c) The nominations from the second largest caucus in the house of representatives must include at least one representative from the retail industry;
(d) The nominations from the largest caucus in the senate must include at least one representative from the hotel industry and one representative from the attractions industry;
(e) The nominations from the second largest caucus in the senate must include at least one representative from the outdoor recreation industry; and
(f) The remaining member appointed by the governor must have a demonstrated expertise in the tourism industry.
(3) By July 1, 2018, the governor must appoint two members from each list submitted by the caucuses under subsection (2)(a) through (e) of this section and one member under subsection (2)(f) of this section. The appointments made under subsection (2)(a) through (e) of this section must include at least one representative from each of the following industries: Hotel, restaurant, outdoor recreation, attractions, retail, and rental car businesses. Appointments by the governor must reflect diversity in geography, size of business, gender, and ethnicity. No county may have more than two appointments and no city may have more than one appointment.
(4) There must be a nonvoting advisory committee to the board. The advisory committee must consist of:
(a) One ex officio member from the department, department of revenue, state parks and recreation commission, and department of transportation; and
(b) One member from a federally recognized Indian tribe appointed by the director of the department.
(5) The initial appointments under subsections (1) and (2) of this section must be appointed by the governor to terms as follows: Four members for two-year terms; four members for three-year terms; and five members for four-year terms, which must include the chair. After the initial appointments, all appointments must be for four years.
(6) The board must select from its membership the chair of the board and such other officers as it deems appropriate. The chair of the board must be a member from the tourism industry or related businesses.
(7) A majority of the board constitutes a quorum.
(8) The board must create its own bylaws in accordance with the laws of the state of Washington.
(9) Any member of the board may be removed for misfeasance, malfeasance, or willful neglect of duty after notice and a public hearing, unless the notice and hearing are expressly waived in writing by the affected member.
(10) If a vacancy occurs on the board, a replacement must be appointed for the unexpired term.
(11) The members of the board serve without compensation but are entitled to reimbursement, solely from the funds of the authority, for expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties.
(12) The board must meet at least quarterly.
(13) No board member of the authority may serve on the board of an organization that could be considered for a contract authorized under section 6 of this act.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  STATEWIDE TOURISM MARKETING ACCOUNT. The statewide tourism marketing account is created in the state treasury. All receipts from tax revenues under section 9 of this act must be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used only for expenditures of the department that are related to implementation of a statewide tourism marketing program and operation of the authority. Expenditures from the account may be made as a two-to-one nonstate-to-state match is provided. A nonstate match may consist of nonstate cash contributions deposited in the private local account created under section 3(4) of this act, the value of an advertising equivalency contribution, or an in-kind contribution. The board must determine criteria for what qualifies as an in-kind contribution.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6.  USE OF FUNDS. (1) From amounts appropriated to the department for the authority and from other moneys available to it, the authority may incur expenditures for any purpose specifically authorized by this chapter including:
(a) Entering into a contract for a multiple-year statewide tourism marketing plan with a statewide nonprofit organization existing on the effective date of this section whose sole purpose is marketing Washington to tourists. The marketing plan must include, but is not limited to, focuses on rural tourism-dependent counties, natural wonders and outdoor recreation opportunities of the state, attraction of international tourists, identification of local offerings for tourists, and assistance for tourism areas adversely impacted by natural disasters. In the event that no such organization exists on the effective date of this section or the initial contractor ceases to exist, the authority may determine criteria for a contractor to carry out a statewide marketing program;
(b) Contracting for the evaluation of the impact of the statewide tourism marketing program; and
(c) Paying for administrative expenses of the authority, which may not exceed two percent of the state portion of funds collected in any fiscal year.
(2) All nonstate moneys received by the authority under section 7 of this act or otherwise provided to the authority for purposes of nonstate matching funding are held in trust for uses authorized solely by this chapter.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7.  GIFTS OR GRANTS TO THE WASHINGTON TOURISM MARKETING AUTHORITY. The board may receive gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources that are made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, for the use and benefit of the purposes of the authority and spend gift, grants, or endowments or income from public or private sources according to their terms, unless the receipt of gifts, grants, or endowments violates RCW 42.17A.560.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8.  SHORT TITLE. This chapter may be known and cited as the statewide tourism marketing act.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9.  A new section is added to chapter 82.08 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Beginning July 1, 2018, 0.2 percent of taxes collected pursuant to RCW 82.08.020(1) on retail sales of lodging, car rentals, and restaurants must be deposited into the statewide tourism marketing account created in section 5 of this act. Except as provided otherwise for fiscal year 2019 in subsection (2) of this section, future revenue collections under this section may be up to three million dollars per biennium and must be deposited into the statewide tourism marketing account created in section 5 of this act. The deposit under this subsection to the statewide tourism marketing account may only occur if the legislature authorizes the deposit in the biennial omnibus appropriations act.
(2) For fiscal year 2019, up to a maximum of one million five hundred thousand dollars must be deposited in the statewide tourism marketing account created in section 5 of this act. The deposit under this subsection to the statewide tourism marketing account may only occur if the legislature authorizes the deposit in the biennial omnibus appropriations act.
Sec. 10.  RCW 43.84.092 and 2017 3rd sp.s. c 25 s 50, 2017 3rd sp.s. c 12 s 12, and 2017 c 290 s 8 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) All earnings of investments of surplus balances in the state treasury shall be deposited to the treasury income account, which account is hereby established in the state treasury.
(2) The treasury income account shall be utilized to pay or receive funds associated with federal programs as required by the federal cash management improvement act of 1990. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for refunds or allocations of interest earnings required by the cash management improvement act. Refunds of interest to the federal treasury required under the cash management improvement act fall under RCW 43.88.180 and shall not require appropriation. The office of financial management shall determine the amounts due to or from the federal government pursuant to the cash management improvement act. The office of financial management may direct transfers of funds between accounts as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of the cash management improvement act, and this subsection. Refunds or allocations shall occur prior to the distributions of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
(3) Except for the provisions of RCW 43.84.160, the treasury income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasury funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasury and affected state agencies. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
(4) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the treasury income account. The state treasurer shall credit the general fund with all the earnings credited to the treasury income account except:
(a) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's and fund's average daily balance for the period: The aeronautics account, the aircraft search and rescue account, the Alaskan Way viaduct replacement project account, the brownfield redevelopment trust fund account, the budget stabilization account, the capital vessel replacement account, the capitol building construction account, the Cedar River channel construction and operation account, the Central Washington University capital projects account, the charitable, educational, penal and reformatory institutions account, the Chehalis basin account, the cleanup settlement account, the Columbia river basin water supply development account, the Columbia river basin taxable bond water supply development account, the Columbia river basin water supply revenue recovery account, the common school construction fund, the community forest trust account, the connecting Washington account, the county arterial preservation account, the county criminal justice assistance account, the deferred compensation administrative account, the deferred compensation principal account, the department of licensing services account, the department of retirement systems expense account, the developmental disabilities community trust account, the diesel idle reduction account, the drinking water assistance account, the drinking water assistance administrative account, the early learning facilities development account, the early learning facilities revolving account, the Eastern Washington University capital projects account, the Interstate 405 express toll lanes operations account, the education construction fund, the education legacy trust account, the election account, the electric vehicle charging infrastructure account, the energy freedom account, the energy recovery act account, the essential rail assistance account, The Evergreen State College capital projects account, the federal forest revolving account, the ferry bond retirement fund, the freight mobility investment account, the freight mobility multimodal account, the grade crossing protective fund, the public health services account, the high capacity transportation account, the state higher education construction account, the higher education construction account, the highway bond retirement fund, the highway infrastructure account, the highway safety fund, the high occupancy toll lanes operations account, the hospital safety net assessment fund, the industrial insurance premium refund account, the judges' retirement account, the judicial retirement administrative account, the judicial retirement principal account, the local leasehold excise tax account, the local real estate excise tax account, the local sales and use tax account, the marine resources stewardship trust account, the medical aid account, the mobile home park relocation fund, the money-purchase retirement savings administrative account, the money-purchase retirement savings principal account, the motor vehicle fund, the motorcycle safety education account, the multimodal transportation account, the multiuse roadway safety account, the municipal criminal justice assistance account, the natural resources deposit account, the oyster reserve land account, the pension funding stabilization account, the perpetual surveillance and maintenance account, the pollution liability insurance agency underground storage tank revolving account, the public employees' retirement system plan 1 account, the public employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the public facilities construction loan revolving account beginning July 1, 2004, the public health supplemental account, the public works assistance account, the Puget Sound capital construction account, the Puget Sound ferry operations account, the Puget Sound taxpayer accountability account, the real estate appraiser commission account, the recreational vehicle account, the regional mobility grant program account, the resource management cost account, the rural arterial trust account, the rural mobility grant program account, the rural Washington loan fund, the sexual assault prevention and response account, the site closure account, the skilled nursing facility safety net trust fund, the small city pavement and sidewalk account, the special category C account, the special wildlife account, the state employees' insurance account, the state employees' insurance reserve account, the state investment board expense account, the state investment board commingled trust fund accounts, the state patrol highway account, the state route number 520 civil penalties account, the state route number 520 corridor account, the state wildlife account, the statewide tourism marketing account, the supplemental pension account, the Tacoma Narrows toll bridge account, the teachers' retirement system plan 1 account, the teachers' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the tobacco prevention and control account, the tobacco settlement account, the toll facility bond retirement account, the transportation 2003 account (nickel account), the transportation equipment fund, the transportation future funding program account, the transportation improvement account, the transportation improvement board bond retirement account, the transportation infrastructure account, the transportation partnership account, the traumatic brain injury account, the tuition recovery trust fund, the University of Washington bond retirement fund, the University of Washington building account, the volunteer firefighters' and reserve officers' relief and pension principal fund, the volunteer firefighters' and reserve officers' administrative fund, the Washington judicial retirement system account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and firefighters' system plan 1 retirement account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and firefighters' system plan 2 retirement account, the Washington public safety employees' plan 2 retirement account, the Washington school employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and 3 account, the Washington state health insurance pool account, the Washington state patrol retirement account, the Washington State University building account, the Washington State University bond retirement fund, the water pollution control revolving administration account, the water pollution control revolving fund, the Western Washington University capital projects account, the Yakima integrated plan implementation account, the Yakima integrated plan implementation revenue recovery account, and the Yakima integrated plan implementation taxable bond account. Earnings derived from investing balances of the agricultural permanent fund, the normal school permanent fund, the permanent common school fund, the scientific permanent fund, the state university permanent fund, and the state reclamation revolving account shall be allocated to their respective beneficiary accounts.
(b) Any state agency that has independent authority over accounts or funds not statutorily required to be held in the state treasury that deposits funds into a fund or account in the state treasury pursuant to an agreement with the office of the state treasurer shall receive its proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period.
(5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no treasury accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 11.  The joint legislative audit and review committee must conduct an evaluation of the performance of the authority created in chapter 43.--- RCW (the new chapter created in section 12 of this act) and report its findings and recommendations, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, to the governor and the economic development committees of the senate and house of representatives by December 1, 2023. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine the extent to which the authority has contributed to the growth of the tourism industry and economic development of the state. An interim report by the authority, submitted in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, is due to the governor and economic development committees of the house of representatives and senate by December 1, 2021. The report must provide an update on the authority's progress in implementing a statewide tourism marketing program.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 12.  Sections 1 through 8 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.
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