Senate Bill 5251, Lodging Tax Revenues (Washington, 2025 Regular Session)

Summary

Senate Bill 5251, State of Washington, 2025 Regular Session, by Senators Christian, Chapman, and Frame, read first time 01/14/25 and referred to Committee on Business, Financial Services & Trade. The act relates to lodging tax revenues and amends RCW 67.28.1816. It lists the uses of lodging tax revenues, including tourism marketing and the marketing and operations of special events and festivals designed to attract tourists. Applicants must give the municipality estimates of increases in the number of people traveling for business or pleasure, and recipients must report the actual number. In a municipality with a population of 5,000 or more, the local lodging tax advisory committee selects candidates from the applicants and recommends funding amounts.

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Full text

     S-0410.1

                                   SENATE BILL 5251


     State of Washington           69th Legislature         2025 Regular Session

     By Senators Christian, Chapman, and Frame

     Read first time 01/14/25.         Referred     to   Committee   on   Business,
     Financial Services & Trade.




 1       AN ACT    Relating   to   lodging   tax   revenues;   and   amending   RCW
 2   67.28.1816.


 3   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:


 4       Sec. 1.   RCW 67.28.1816 and 2013 c 196 s 1 are each amended to
 5   read as follows:
 6       (1) Lodging tax revenues under this chapter may be used, directly
 7   by any municipality or indirectly through a convention and visitors
 8   bureau or destination marketing organization for:
 9       (a) Tourism marketing;
10       (b) The marketing and operations of special events and festivals
11   designed to attract tourists;
12       (c) Supporting the operations and capital expenditures of
13   tourism-related facilities owned or operated by a municipality or a
14   public facilities district created under chapters 35.57 and 36.100
15   RCW; or
16       (d) Supporting the operations and capital expenditures of
17   tourism-related   facilities   owned   or    operated   by   nonprofit
18   organizations described under 26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3) and 26 U.S.C.
19   Sec. 501(c)(6) of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended.
20       (2)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, applicants
21   applying for use of revenues in this chapter must provide the
                                         p. 1                               SB 5251
 1   municipality to which they are applying estimates of how any moneys
 2   received will result in increases in the number of people traveling
 3   for business or pleasure on a trip:
 4       (i) Away from their place of residence or business and staying
 5   overnight in paid accommodations;
 6       (ii) To a place ((fifty)) 50 miles or more one way from their
 7   place of residence or business for the day or staying overnight; or
 8       (iii) From another country or state outside of their place of
 9   residence or their business.
10       (b)(i) In a municipality with a population of ((five thousand))
11   5,000 or more, applicants applying for use of revenues in this
12   chapter must submit their applications and estimates described under
13   (a) of this subsection to the local lodging tax advisory committee.
14       (ii) The local lodging tax advisory committee must select the
15   candidates from amongst the applicants applying for use of revenues
16   in this chapter and provide a list of such candidates and recommended
17   amounts of funding to the municipality for final determination. The
18   municipality may choose only recipients from the list of candidates
19   and recommended amounts provided by the local lodging tax advisory
20   committee.
21       (c)(i) All recipients must submit a report to the municipality
22   describing the actual number of people traveling for business or
23   pleasure on a trip:
24       (A) Away from their place of residence or business and staying
25   overnight in paid accommodations;
26       (B) To a place ((fifty)) 50 miles or more one way from their
27   place of residence or business for the day or staying overnight; or
28       (C) From another country or state outside of their place of
29   residence or their business. A municipality receiving a report must:
30   Make such report available to the local legislative body and the
31   public; and furnish copies of the report to the joint legislative
32   audit and review committee and members of the local lodging tax
33   advisory committee.
34       (ii) The joint legislative audit and review committee must on a
35   biennial basis report to the economic development committees of the
36   legislature on the use of lodging tax revenues by municipalities.
37   Reporting under this subsection must begin in calendar year 2015.
38       (d) This section does not apply to the revenues of any lodging
39   tax authorized under this chapter imposed by a county with a


                                     p. 2                          SB 5251
1   population   of   ((one   million    five   hundred   thousand))   1,500,000   or
2   more.

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                                           p. 3                             SB 5251


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