Senate Bill No. 779

(By Senators Bowman, Bailey, Barnes, Boley, Foster, Jenkins, McCabe, Minard, Plymale, Stollings, Sypolt, White and Yoder)

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[Originating in the Committee on Government Organization; reported February 20, 2008.]

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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §7-18-15, relating to limitations on expending hotel occupancy tax proceeds.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto one new section, designated §7-18-15, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 18. HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
§7-18-15. Limitations on expending proceeds
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For the period of the first day of February, two thousand eight, through the first day of July, two thousand nine, net revenue receivable during the fiscal year by a county or a municipality pursuant to this article shall be expended only on those convention and visitor's bureaus, visitor's and convention bureaus and regional travel councils that existed and were engaged in business in this state as of the first day of February, two thousand eight.

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(NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the expenditure of hotel occupancy proceeds during the period of February 1, 2008, through July 1, 2009, to those convention and visitor's bureaus, visitor's and convention bureaus and regional travel councils not in existence and engaged in business in this state as of February 1, 2008.

§7-18-15 is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
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