Removes the requirement that 5% of the hotel tax generated from the South County tourism district be paid to the Greater Providence-Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau.

What This Bill Does

Rhode Island currently collects a tax on hotel stays, and the money generated from hotels in the South County area gets distributed to various organizations that promote tourism. Under the existing law, 5% of the hotel tax revenue from the South County tourism district is automatically sent to the Greater Providence-Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau — an organization focused on promoting tourism in the Providence and Warwick areas. This bill would eliminate that requirement, stopping that automatic transfer of funds.

Who It Affects

This bill primarily affects two organizations: the South County tourism district and the Greater Providence-Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau. If passed, the South County district would retain that 5% of hotel tax revenue instead of sending it to the Providence-Warwick bureau. In practical terms, this could mean more tourism-related funding stays within the South County region (which includes areas like Narragansett, Westerly, and South Kingstown), while the Greater Providence-Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau would receive less funding. Hotels and visitors in the South County area would not see a direct change — the tax itself is not being changed, only how the money is divided up.

Where It Stands

The bill has been introduced in the Rhode Island Senate and referred to the Senate Finance Committee, which is the standard first step in the legislative process. It has not yet been voted on.