SB 1000 repeals and replaces section 620.467, RSMo, to revise the statutory framework for the Division of Tourism Supplemental Revenue Fund. The bill creates the fund in the state treasury, allows it to receive legislative appropriations and outside contributions, and directs the state treasurer to administer it. Money in the fund must be used solely by the Division of Tourism within the Department of Economic Development to carry out its duties and functions. The bill also preserves fund balances at the end of a biennium by preventing any remaining money from reverting to general revenue.
The bill updates the mechanism for funding tourism promotion by removing outdated provisions tied to annual deposits from general revenue, historical budget-base calculations, and the prior 2020 expiration date. It retains a reporting requirement that, before appropriations are made from the fund, the division must present a promotional marketing strategy to legislative committees, including target markets, marketing duration, planned follow-up strategies, and estimated return on investment. In effect, the bill modernizes the statute and keeps the tourism fund operating without the earlier sunset and formula-based deposit structure.
The bill’s impact on state law is primarily to revise how Missouri manages and uses the Tourism Supplemental Revenue Fund and to eliminate obsolete statutory language. It affects the state treasury, the Division of Tourism, the Department of Economic Development, and the legislative committees that review tourism marketing plans. Because the bill removes the prior revenue-deposit formula and cap language, future funding appears to depend more on appropriations and other receipts than on the former automatic transfer structure.
The general sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable. The recorded votes show unanimous support in the Senate on third reading and overwhelming support in the House, indicating broad bipartisan agreement. The absence of committee transcript material suggests there was little publicly recorded controversy or debate in the available materials.
Notable points of contention are limited, but the main policy issue is the shift away from the prior automatic funding formula and the removal of the sunset provision. That change could matter to lawmakers concerned about predictability, oversight, or the level of state support for tourism promotion. The retained committee reporting requirement suggests an effort to preserve legislative oversight even as the funding structure is simplified.
Impact
SB 1000 amends Missouri law by repealing and reenacting section 620.467 to modernize the Division of Tourism Supplemental Revenue Fund. It removes obsolete deposit formulas, historical budget-base language, and the prior expiration date, while keeping the fund in the state treasury and limiting its use to tourism-related functions. The bill also preserves unspent balances in the fund and maintains legislative review of tourism marketing plans before appropriations are made.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received broad, largely unanimous support. The Senate passed it 31-0 on third reading, and the House passed it 136-6, suggesting strong bipartisan agreement that the tourism fund should be updated. No committee testimony or recorded debate is available in the provided materials, so there is little evidence of organized opposition in the record supplied.
Contention
The main point of policy tension is the bill’s removal of the old automatic funding mechanism tied to general revenue and tourism-related sales tax growth, along with the elimination of the fund’s sunset date. Supporters likely view this as a cleanup and modernization measure, while any critics would be concerned that it changes the predictability or formula-based nature of tourism funding. The bill retains oversight through required marketing-strategy presentations to legislative committees, which may address concerns about accountability.
Appropriates money for the expenses, grants, refunds, and distributions of the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Commerce and Insurance, and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations