Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 11, 2021 01:57 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Karen Boback |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Dedicating Funding for Tourism Marketing, Museums and the Arts |
| I am planning to re-introduce legislation (formerly HB 2098) from last session that dedicates a portion of the 6 percent state hotel occupancy tax to support tourism marketing, museums and the arts. As you probably know, tourism is Pennsylvania’s second largest industry, with a total economic impact of $45 billion. However, budget cuts over the years to state programs designed to attract visitors, combined with the COVID pandemic and aggressive marketing campaigns by other states, have negatively impacted tourism growth in the state. State government currently collects a 6 percent hotel occupancy tax on hotel stays. At this point, that money is directed into the general budget. Dedicating the revenue from 1 percentage point of the 6 percent state tax on hotel stays will build the state marketing budget and directly lead to more tourists coming to Pennsylvania. Sixty percent of the revenue would go to promote and market Pennsylvania to out-of-state visitors, with the remaining 40 percent earmarked to fund established state grant programs for the many local museums and arts and cultural organization that tourists come to see. Basically, the bill leverages the money generated by tourists to further promote and market tourism in the state while at the same time creating and maintaining jobs. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this legislation. Previous cosponsors: MILLARD, ULLMAN, MURT, YOUNGBLOOD, CALTAGIRONE, HELM, HILL-EVANS, KAUFER, CIRESI, SCHWEYER, GALLOWAY and OTTEN |
Introduced as HB829