SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6618
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
State & Local Government, February 7, 2002
Title: An act relating to marketing funds for the state convention and trade center.
Brief Description: Revising state convention and trade center marketing provisions.
Sponsors: Senators Thibaudeau, Rossi and Kohl‑Welles.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: State & Local Government: 2/6/02, 2/7/02 [DP].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Majority Report: Do pass.
Signed by Senators Gardner, Chair; Fairley, Vice Chair; Hale, Haugen, Keiser, Kline, McCaslin, T. Sheldon and Swecker.
Staff: Diane Smith (786‑7410)
Background: The State Convention and Trade Center Corporation (corporation) was formed as a public nonprofit instrumentality of the state. Its purposes are to acquire, construct, expand and improve the State Convention and Trade Center (center) within the City of Seattle. The corporation must maintain, operate, promote and manage the center.
The corporation is permitted to contract with the Seattle-King County Convention and Visitor's Bureau (bureau) for marketing of the center's facility and services. Any contract made under this authority must require that each dollar of the center's operations account paid to the bureau must be matched at least by $1.10 in nonstate funds. The term "nonstate funds" does not include hotel/motel tax funds received under the public stadium, convention, arts and tourism facilities chapter of law.
Summary of Bill: The requirement that any contract between the bureau and the center include $1.10 in matching nonpublic funds is eliminated.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: The economics of increased hotel rooms and increased rates per room make the match virtually impossible to meet. The marketing arrangement has been so mutually beneficial that the loss of the match will not affect the relationship.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: PRO: John Christison, T. Convention Center; Becky Bogard, Seattle's Convention Visitors Bureau.