By Madden                                       H.B. No. 1268

      75R4839 DAK-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the use of revenue from the municipal hotel occupancy

 1-3     tax.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 351.101(a), Tax Code, is amended to read

 1-6     as follows:

 1-7           (a)  Revenue from the municipal hotel occupancy tax may be

 1-8     used only to promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry,

 1-9     and that use is limited to the following:

1-10                 (1)  the acquisition of sites for and the construction,

1-11     improvement, enlarging, equipping, repairing, operation, and

1-12     maintenance of convention center facilities or visitor information

1-13     centers, or both;

1-14                 (2)  the furnishing of facilities, personnel, and

1-15     materials for the registration of convention delegates or

1-16     registrants;

1-17                 (3)  advertising and conducting solicitations and

1-18     promotional programs to attract tourists and convention delegates

1-19     or registrants to the municipality or its vicinity;

1-20                 (4)  the encouragement, promotion, improvement, and

1-21     application of the arts, including instrumental and vocal music,

1-22     dance, drama, folk art, creative writing, architecture, design and

1-23     allied fields, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic and craft

1-24     arts, motion pictures, radio, television, tape and sound recording,

 2-1     and other arts related to the presentation, performance, execution,

 2-2     and exhibition of these major art forms; [and]

 2-3                 (5)  historical restoration and preservation projects

 2-4     or activities or advertising and conducting solicitations and

 2-5     promotional programs to encourage tourists and convention delegates

 2-6     to visit preserved historic sites or museums:

 2-7                       (A)  at or in the immediate vicinity of

 2-8     convention center facilities or visitor information centers;  or

 2-9                       (B)  located elsewhere in the municipality or its

2-10     vicinity that would be frequented by tourists and convention

2-11     delegates; and

2-12                 (6)  economic development efforts that target

2-13     businesses directly associated with tourism or the convention and

2-14     hotel industry.

2-15           SECTION 2.  This Act does not apply to the use of tax revenue

2-16     pledged to secure bonds issued before the effective date of this

2-17     Act.  Tax revenue pledged to secure bonds issued before the

2-18     effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the

2-19     date the bonds were issued, and that law is continued in effect for

2-20     that purpose.

2-21           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-25     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-26     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-27     passage, and it is so enacted.