| R 323 |
| 2017 -- H 6278 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/20/2017 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO BE KNOWN AS "GROWING TOURISM IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND" |
| Introduced By: Representatives Carson, Fogarty, Marshall, Filippi, and Quattrocchi |
| Date Introduced: June 02, 2017 |
| WHEREAS, Rhode Island hosted 24.1 million visitors in 2015, and that year, the tourism |
| economy reached $6 billion dollars in our state; and |
| WHEREAS, One in eight Rhode Island jobs were sustained by the tourism economy and |
| over 80,000 direct and indirect jobs were supported by the industry; and |
| WHEREAS, The tax revenues generated by tourism offset the average Rhode Island |
| household burden by $1750 per household and every 500 visitors to Rhode Island supported the |
| education of one Rhode Island student for one year; and |
| WHEREAS, Visitor spending has increased 21 percent cumulatively since 2010, and the |
| lodging and recreation sectors have exhibited the strongest growth with 39 percent and 29 percent |
| growth respectively since 2010; and |
| WHEREAS, Tourism is and continues to be an essential component to the economic |
| stability, success, and growth of our state; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That the special legislative commission to be known as "Growing Tourism |
| in the State of Rhode Island" be and the same is hereby created consisting of nineteen (19) |
| members: six (6) of whom shall be members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, not |
| more than four (4) from the same political party, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; |
| one of whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Revenue, or designee; one |
| of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, or designee; one of |
| whom shall be the President and CEO of the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors |
| Bureau, or designee; one of whom shall be the President and CEO of Discover Newport, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Block Island Tourism Council, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the President and CEO of the South County Tourism Council, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the President and CEO of the Blackstone Valley Tourism |
| Council, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Warwick Department of Tourism, |
| Culture and Development, or designee; one of whom shall be the Chair of the Providence |
| Tourism Council, or designee; three (3) of whom shall be representatives of Providence, South |
| County, and Newport private sector tourism, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and |
| one of whom shall be the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation |
| (RIAC), or designee. |
| In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory |
| commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly |
| resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu |
| of a legislator, provided that the Majority Leader or the Minority Leader of the political party |
| which is entitled to the appointment, consents to the member of the general public. |
| The purpose of said commission shall be to examine and focus on: |
| • Creating and promoting policies which enhance a coordinated tourism and visitor |
| industry within the state; |
| • Utilizing a statewide coordination of efforts and information to evaluate modifying the |
| state's tourism management and oversight structure; |
| • Exploring the economic impact of environmental quality on the tourism industry; |
| • Developing a comprehensive and unified metrics framework for the state and local |
| regions in order to make evaluations for all future state government tourism investments; |
| • Re-evaluating the formula used for the distribution of the Hotel and Lodging tax in |
| order to reflect a 21st century tourism model that strategically fits the state's tourism management |
| structures and provides equitably; |
| • Analyzing and evaluating the impact, sustainability, and expansion of international |
| tourism on Rhode Island's tourism economy. |
| Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at |
| the call of the Speaker of the House and organize and shall select a chairperson. |
| Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. |
| The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
| All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, |
| documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or |
| desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
| The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provide suitable quarters |
| for said commission; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the |
| House of Representatives no later than January 5, 2019, and said commission shall expire on |
| March 5, 2019. |
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| LC002782/SUB A |
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