AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 67, relative to tourism.
Summary
SB2283 amends Tennessee’s tourism-related statutes to define a new term, “destination marketing organization,” for a nonprofit entity or government unit that promotes tourism for one or more municipalities, operates year-round, and has a dedicated marketing budget supported by a consistent funding source. The bill is aimed at clarifying which entities qualify for tourism-related funding and administration under state law.
The bill also requires municipalities to release revenue that is used to fund a destination marketing entity no later than 120 days after the municipality approves its final budget. In practical terms, this creates a statutory deadline for transferring tourism funds to the organizations that carry out local tourism promotion and development efforts.
Impact
The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 67, specifically the tourism tax and revenue provisions in Section 67-4-1401 and 67-4-1403, and references local government titles as part of its broader tourism framework. It affects municipalities and destination marketing entities by imposing a defined timeline for disbursement of tourism-related revenue and by codifying the type of organization eligible to receive and use those funds.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate State & Local Government Committee unanimously and then cleared the floor with unanimous or near-unanimous votes at each recorded stage, indicating strong bipartisan agreement on the measure’s purpose and implementation.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record. The only likely point of discussion is the administrative impact on municipalities, since the bill requires timely release of funds after budget approval, which could affect local budgeting and cash-flow practices. However, the unanimous votes suggest no major disagreement over the definition of destination marketing organizations or the 120-day payment deadline.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 56; Title 62; Title 66; Title 67 and Title 68, relative to real property.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 13; Title 56; Title 62; Title 66; Title 67 and Title 68, relative to real property.