The Senate Commerce Committee today took extensive testimony and passed SB 1419, which allows Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw to combine and create a joint regional convention and tourism promotion bureau.  The new Act would allow the regional convention and tourism promotion bureau to be created and collect an assessment of up to 5% of room charges to be collected from owners of transient facilities (such as hotels and motels) in the assessment district.  The bureau must file a marketing program notice with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and notify owners of transient facilities that it was filed. It must also provide for the collection of the assessment unless it were defeated by a referendum of owners. The bureau would have to specify what could be included in a bureau's marketing program, and specify that assessment revenue would not be state funds and could be used only for marketing program expenses.  The transient facility owners in the district can request a referendum to discontinue an assessment at any time three years or more after it took effect.

Andy Schor is the Assistant Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. Contact him at (517) 908-0300 or by email at aschor@mml.org.

FacebookTwitterLinkedInDel.icio.usDigg It!