H. B. 3151
(By Delegates White, Kominar, Campbell and Craig)
[Introduced March 16, 2009; referred to the
Committee on Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §5B-2-12 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to the frequency of funding of the
courtesy patrol program out of the Tourism Promotion Fund.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §5B-2-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. WEST VIRGINIA DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.
§5B-2-12. Tourism Promotion Fund created; use of funds.
There is hereby continued in the State Treasury the special
revenue fund known as the Tourism Promotion Fund created under
prior enactment of section nine, article one of this chapter.
(a) The Legislature finds that a courtesy patrol program
providing assistance to motorists on the state's highways is one of
the most beneficial methods to introduce a tourist visiting the
state of the state's hospitality and good will. For that reason, $4,700,000 of the moneys deposited in the fund each year shall be
deposited
in equal monthly installments in a special revenue
account in the State Treasury to be known as the Courtesy Patrol
Fund. Expenditures from the fund shall be used solely to fund the
courtesy patrol program providing assistance to motorists on the
state's highways. Amounts collected in the fund which are found,
from time to time, to exceed funds needed for the purposes set
forth in this subdivision may be transferred to other accounts or
funds and redesignated for other purposes by appropriation of the
Legislature.
(b) If there are funds remaining after the
monthly
distribution required in subdivision (a) of this section, a minimum
of five percent of the moneys deposited remaining in the fund each
year shall be used solely for direct advertising for West Virginia
travel and tourism:
Provided, That no less than twenty percent of
these funds be expended, with the approval of the Director of the
Division of Natural Resources, to effectively promote and market
the state's parks, state forests, state recreation areas and
wildlife recreational resources. Direct advertising means
advertising which is limited to television, radio, mailings,
newspaper, magazines, the Internet and outdoor billboards or any
combination thereof.
(c) The balance of the moneys deposited in the fund shall be
used for direct advertising within the state's travel regions as defined by the commission. The funds shall be made available to
these districts beginning July 1, 1995, according to legislative
rules authorized for promulgation by the Tourism Commission.
(d) All advertising expenditures over $25,000 from the Tourism
Promotion Fund require prior approval by recorded vote of the
commission. No member of the commission or of any committee
created by the commission to evaluate applications for advertising
or other grants may participate in the discussion of, or action
upon, an application for or an award of any grant in which the
member has a direct financial interest.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require monthly
installments of the funds required to be transferred from the
Tourism Promotion Fund to fund the Courtesy Patrol.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.