Chapter 205

2009 -- S 1008 AS AMENDED

Enacted 11/09/09

 

A N A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- NEWPORT CONVENTION AND VISITORS' BUREAU

     

     Introduced By: Senators Bates, Felag, DiPalma, Paiva-Weed, and C. Levesque

     Date Introduced: June 24, 2009

 

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

 

     SECTION 1. Section 42-63.1-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-63.1 entitled

"Tourism and Development" is hereby amended to read as follows:

 

     42-63.1-5. Regional tourism districts. -- (a) The state of Rhode Island is divided into

eight (8) regional tourism districts to be administered by the tourism council, convention and

visitor's bureau or the Rhode Island economic development corporation as designated in this

section:

      (1) South County district which shall include Westerly, Charlestown, Narragansett,

South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Hopkinton, Exeter, Richmond, West Greenwich, East

Greenwich, and Coventry to be administered by the South County tourism council, inc.;

      (2) Providence district consists of the city of Providence to be administered by the

Convention Authority of the City of Providence.

      (3) Northern Rhode Island district consists of Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Lincoln, Central

Falls, Cumberland, North Smithfield, Smithfield, Glocester and Burrillville to be administered by

the Blackstone Valley tourism council, inc.;

      (4) Aquidneck Island district consists of Barrington, Bristol, Warren, Newport,

Jamestown, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton to be administered by the

Newport and Bristol County convention and visitors bureau;

      (5) Warwick district consists of the city of Warwick to be administered by the city of

Warwick department of economic development;

      (6) Block Island district which shall consist of the town of New Shoreham to be

administered by the New Shoreham tourism council, inc.;

      (7) East Bay district which consists of Barrington, Bristol, Warren and East Providence

to be administered by an entity that shall be acceptable to the economic development corporation;

provided, that all funds generated in the city of East Providence shall be held by the Rhode Island

division of taxation until such time as the city of East Providence elects to become a member of a

regional tourism district at which time the monies held by the Rhode Island division of taxation

shall be transferred to the tourism district or convention visitors' bureau selected by the city of

East Providence;

      (8) Statewide district consists of all cities and towns not delineated in subdivisions (1)

through (7) to be administered by the Rhode Island economic development corporation.

      (b) Before receiving any funds under this chapter, the organizations designated to receive

the funds on behalf of the South County regional tourism district and East Bay regional tourism

district and the Northern Rhode Island regional tourism district shall be required to apply to and

receive approval from the Rhode Island economic development corporation pursuant to

guidelines promulgated by the Rhode Island economic development corporation. The corporation

shall review the eligibility of the regional tourism district organizations to receive the funds at

least annually.

 

     SECTION 2. The title of Chapter 42-105 of the General Laws entitled "NEWPORT

COUNTY CONVENTION AND VISITORS' BUREAU" is hereby amended to read as follows:

 

     CHAPTER 42-105

Newport County Convention and Visitors' Bureau

 

     CHAPTER 42-105

NEWPORT AND BRISTOL COUNTY CONVENTION AND VISITORS' BUREAU

 

     SECTION 3. Sections 42-105-1, 42-105-2, 42-105-3 and 42-105-6 of the General Laws

in Chapter 42-105 entitled "Newport County Convention and Visitors' Bureau" are hereby

amended to read as follows:

 

     42-105-1. Newport County convention and visitors' bureau -- Creation Newport

and Bristol County convention and visitors' bureau -- Creation. -- (a) There is authorized,

created and established a public corporation having a distinct legal existence from the state and

not constituting a department of state government, which is a governmental agency and public

instrumentality of the municipalities within Newport and Bristol County Counties, to be known

as the "Newport and Bristol County convention and visitors' bureau" with those powers as are set

forth in this chapter.

      (b) The exercise by the corporation of the powers conferred by this chapter shall be

deemed and held to be the performance of an essential governmental function of the

municipalities within Newport and Bristol County for public purposes. It is the intent of the

general assembly by the passage of this chapter, to vest in the corporation all powers, authority,

rights, privileges, and titles which may be necessary to enable it to accomplish the purposes

herein set forth, and this chapter and the powers granted hereby shall be liberally construed in

conformity with those purposes.

      (c) (1) The corporation and its corporate existence shall continue until terminated by law

or until the corporation shall cease entirely and continuously to conduct or be involved in any

business whatsoever in the furtherance of its purposes.

      (2) Upon termination of the existence of the corporation, all its rights and properties shall

pass to and be vested in the state. At no time shall the assets or other property of the corporation

inure to the benefit of any person or other corporation or entity.

 

     42-105-2. Composition. -- (a) (1) The Newport and Bristol County convention and

visitors' bureau shall be comprised of fifteen (15) eighteen (18) members who are residents of

Newport County and Bristol Counties.

      (2) All members of the bureau as of September 1, 2005 shall cease to be members of the

authority on September 1, 2005, and the bureau shall thereupon be reconstituted as follows:

      (i) Three (3) members shall be appointed by the Newport City Council; two (2) of whom

shall be associated with the hospitality industry;

      (ii) Three (3) members shall be appointed by the Middletown Town Council; two (2) of

whom shall be associated with the hospitality industry;

      (iii) One member shall be appointed by the Jamestown Town Council who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry;

      (iv) One member shall be appointed by the Portsmouth Town Council who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry;

      (v) One member shall be appointed by the Tiverton Town Council who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry;

      (vi) One member shall be appointed by the Little Compton Town Council who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry; and

     (vii) One member shall be appointed by the Bristol Town Council who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry; and

     (viii) One member shall be appointed by the Warren Town Council who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry; and

     (ix) One member shall be appointed by the Barrington Town Council who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry; and

      (vii) (x) Those members appointed pursuant to paragraph (i) -- (vi)(ix) shall thereupon

appoint five (5) members, who shall be:

      (A) One representative of hotels of more than one hundred (100) rooms;

      (B) One representative of hotels, inns or bed-and-breakfasts of less than one hundred

(100) rooms;

      (C) One representative of the restaurant industry;

      (D) One representative of the attractions industry; and

      (E) One member of the general public to serve as at-large representative who shall be

associated with the hospitality industry.

      (3) All members of the public shall be appointed to serve terms of two (2) years.

Members of the bureau shall be eligible for reappointment. Those persons initially appointed

under paragraphs (2)(i), (2)(ii) of this section, shall serve initial terms of one year.

     (4) Those persons initially appointed under paragraphs (2)(iii), (2)(iv), (2)(v), (2)(vi),

(2)(vii), and (2)(viii) under this section shall serve initial terms of two (2) years.

     (5) Those persons initially appointed under paragraphs (2)(ix) and (2)(x) of this section

shall serve an initial term of three (3) years.

     (6) Thereafter, all members shall be appointed to serve terms of three (3) years. Members

of the bureau shall be eligible for appointment for two (2) consecutive terms.

      (4)(7) No state legislator shall serve or be otherwise eligible for membership on the

bureau.

      (b) The members of the Newport and Bristol County convention and visitors' bureau

shall serve without compensation and shall be residents of Newport County and Bristol Counties.

      (c) The Newport and Bristol County convention and visitors' bureau shall meet every

other month at a time to be designated by the chairperson. Special meetings of the authority may

be called by the chairperson in accordance with the open meetings law. The chairperson shall be

elected by the membership of the authority.

 

     42-105-3. Purposes. -- The Newport and Bristol County convention and visitors' bureau

is authorized, created, and established for the following purposes:

      (1) To establish an operating program to promote and encourage tourism;

      (2) To coordinate tourism activities within Newport County and Bristol Counties and the

state;

      (3) To establish a fund to promote and encourage tourism; and

      (4) To aid the municipalities in Newport and Bristol County in resolving problems which

may arise due to growth in the tourism industry and to improve the quality of life in Newport and

Bristol County.

 

     42-105-6. Transfer of assets, rights, and responsibilities. -- All assets presently held by

the Newport and Bristol tourism and convention authority are transferred to the corporation

created by this chapter. Assets include all property, tangible and intangible whether located

within or without the state. Whenever in the general laws or any public law reference is made to

the Newport and Bristol tourism and convention authority, the Newport and Bristol County

convention and visitors' bureau shall be substituted, and the bureau shall assume all

responsibilities and rights as may be set forth in the general or public law.

 

     SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.

     

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LC02849

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