Latest news with #HB1221
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida must stop its war on tourism. It could hurt jobs and communities.
The Florida House of Representatives has advanced two bills, HB 1221 and HB 7033, that threaten to dismantle the very foundation of Florida's economic powerhouse: the tourism industry. These bills propose significant changes to the state's highly successful Tourist Development Tax (TDT), redirecting its funds from destination promotion to property tax credits. The result would be a devastating blow to local businesses, jobs and communities that rely on tourism to thrive. Tourism is the lifeblood of Florida's economy. The TDT, paid by visitors and not by Floridians, is reinvested in destination promotion efforts that attract even more visitors. This cycle generates jobs, fuels local businesses and supports critical public services. Eliminating TDT funding for this purpose would severely hinder our ability to compete for visitors, leading to long-term economic pain. Additionally, reallocating these dollars to provide property tax relief to property owners diminishes the importance of tourism marketing and promotion across the state. With millions of residential and commercial properties in Florida, a reduction of property taxes amounts to a negligible benefit for individual property owners. In contrast, every Florida household is currently saved $1,910 in taxes per year since tourism is one of the reasons why the Sunshine State remains state tax-free. Tourism in Florida is powerful. Millions of visitors support the livelihoods of countless people across the state. Visitors generate billions in direct spending and contribute significantly to the local economy. Tourism connects communities and creates places where people want to visit, live, work and invest. Opinion: I'm a Canadian who lives in Florida. Don't let tariffs ruin our relationship. If these changes to TDT become law, Florida will lose not only the revenue generated by tourism but also the jobs, beach renovations and much more funded by it. The long-term economic damage will be felt across the state as the tourism industry, a key pillar of Florida's economy, loses its ability to thrive. This is a statewide issue that's important to every tourism destination in Florida, including Palm Beach County, where more than 9.9 million visitors in 2024 supported the livelihoods of approximately 90,000 people. Milton Segarra is president and CEO of Discover The Palm Beaches. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida tourism is vital to our economy. Don't stifle it | Opinion
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed Florida legislation threatens local tourism funding and jobs
Two proposed bills in the Florida legislature threaten to eliminate local tourism funding, putting local service-related jobs at risk. In Putnam County, tourism officials told Action News Jax the bills could be detrimental to a county working to become a destination spot. Putnam County isn't a typical tourist hub, but events like the Blue Crab Festival and the Bassmasters Elite tournament—which drew 18,000 visitors in February—have helped boost its appeal. But there's a potential problem on the horizon. 'We can't fund those events if we aren't funded with the TDT [Tourism Development Tax],' said Kimberly Morgan. Morgan, Vice President of the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, is referring to HB1221 and HB7033. These bills could eliminate local tourism promotion by redirecting Tourist Development Tax revenues to property tax credits. Related: Sales or property tax? Competing tax cut proposals under consideration in the Florida Capitol In short, this means cuts to marketing budgets for businesses that rely on tourism dollars and even potential job losses in the tourism department. 'Statewide there is 2 million tourism jobs. So, 2 million people are in jeopardy of losing their jobs if this funding goes away,' said Morgan. HB 1221 is sponsored by Rep. Monique Miller (R - Palm Bay). 'Tourists flock here to spend their money,' Miller told the House State Affairs Committee. 'This bill gives local governments more control over these taxes and the power to use tax revenues to make Florida more affordable for its residents,' Miller said. 'People are losing their homes. We have to bring them relief. This is a way to bring them immediate relief.' Morgan explained why tourism dollars impact everyone. 'The reason that Florida doesn't have an income tax is because of tourism. It's the one that residents don't pay—visitors pay this tax,' Morgan added. WATCH: One-on-one with Governor Ron DeSantis: Revolt in the House, Hope Florida investigation These proposed bills wouldn't have the same impact on larger counties. According to Florida's Historic Coast, tourists in St. Johns County spend a total of $2.5 billion, creating a $3.8 billion annual economic impact for the area. In Putnam County, tourism brought in $87.7 million. But with potential marketing cuts, small businesses in Putnam won't get the promotion push from their tourism department. 'If they don't have the shoppers coming in from out of town, then those businesses could suffer,' said Morgan. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]those businesses Both bills are set to come up for Florida House votes on Friday. Florida's economy heavily relies on tourism, making it the state's largest industry. That's why local tourism departments say they're strongly opposed to both bills. 'The investment that tourism brings to Putnam County it saves the Putnam County resident almost $400 in annual tax savings,' according to Morgan. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed Arkansas legislation poses danger to citizens' direct democracy efforts
Arkansans protest several bills introduced by Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, that would change the citizen-led ballot initiative process Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 at the Arkansas Capitol. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) Eight anti-direct democracy bills sponsored by Rep. David Ray and Sen. Kim Hammer threaten Arkansans' fundamental right to self-governance. Even one of these — HB1221, HB1222, SB207, SB208, SB209, SB210, SB211 and SB212 — threaten Arkansans' fundamental right to self-governance. Even one of these bills becoming law would severely weaken our direct democracy, affecting state, county and municipal levels. During the Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Hammer and his supporting citizens repeatedly mentioned 'abortion' in their commentary about these 'petitioning' bills. It appears the true aim of this legislation is to destroy the direct-democracy process to prevent abortion access from reaching the ballot, as it nearly did in 2024. Further, the committee's actions, which included limiting the voices of Arkansans who traveled to the Capitol to share their concerns about the bills, reinforce a dangerous precedent set during the last legislative session. This creates a potentially dangerous scenario of the Legislature versus The People. Arkansas has long been a national leader in constitutionally protected access to direct democracy. These bills are part of a broader, coordinated effort across the country, with Arkansas being one of many states targeted by 171 proposed measures to restrict direct democracy. The only beneficiaries will be legislators seeking to consolidate power, along with wealthy, out-of-state special interests that can afford to manipulate the system. Unconstitutional emergency clauses: Many bills contain emergency clauses that violate Arkansas Supreme Court rulings. Constitutional violations: Several bills attempt to bypass or weaken constitutional protections for direct democracy. Unequal power structure: These bills would establish an unfair and unconstitutional imbalance of power between the Legislature and the people. Exploitable loopholes: By adding unnecessary procedural barriers, these bills create new ways for opponents to easily block citizen-led ballot measures. None of these bills improve the direct democracy process. I have repeatedly called for legislation requiring the Secretary of State, Attorney General and Ethics Commission to create clear, consistent administrative rules for ballot initiatives under the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act. This would address issues caused by conflicting statutes and siloed agency responsibilities. Arkansas currently ranks 50th in the nation in both civics education and civic engagement. Instead of restricting direct democracy, the Legislature should seize this moment to build on civic energy and create a more accessible, transparent process that strengthens our democracy. Shackling direct democracy, restricting political speech and undermining our state motto are an affront to all Arkansans. Every legislator who values their oath of office and believes in protecting both Arkansas and the U.S. Constitutions should stand with the people and vote against these anti-democracy bills. As a native Arkansan who has managed four grassroots ballot initiative campaigns in the past five years, I can attest that these eight bills are deliberately designed to discourage participation and price ordinary Arkansans out of the process. Our state motto is 'Regnat Populus (The People Rule).' Let's ensure it remains true by rejecting these harmful bills and preserving our strong tradition of direct democracy. Arkansas should continue to lead the nation in empowering its citizens, not become a cautionary tale of democracy's erosion. The Arkansas Public Policy Panel provides hands-on experience in civic participation by helping community groups organize, create infrastructure, set goals and develop action plans to reach those goals.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House committee advances bills amending Arkansas ballot initiative process
Arkansas State Representative David Ray answers questions about his FOIA bill during a meeting of the State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee on Sept. 13, 2023 at the state Capitol. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate) John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate 09/13/2023 The Arkansas House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday advanced three election-related bills. Rep. David Ray, a Maumelle Republican and sponsor of all three bills, said House Bill 1221 would clarify that the certification of ballot titles for initiatives, referenda and constitutional amendments as well as the signatures collected for those measures would only be valid for the next general election. This is not a significant change and codifies a long-standing practice, Ray said. 'Allowing initiatives to carry over for more than one election cycle would almost certainly result in a massive increase in mistakes, inaccurate signatures and/or downright fraud,' he said. Rep. Andrew Collins, D-Little Rock, questioned the need for the bill if it's already common practice. Ray said the law would help guard against people trying to circumvent the rules. Steve Grappe, the executive director of the grassroots organization Stand Up Arkansas and an active participant in citizen-led ballot initiatives, was one of two people to speak against the bill. Grappe, who said he'd be happy to work with Ray to reform parts of the ballot initiative process such as eliminating paid canvassers, argued that new laws have made it more difficult for groups that aren't well-funded to participate in direct democracy. 'We the people have the power and we give it to the General Assembly…and what we've seen over the last several years is this body making it more difficult for grassroots organizations to hold you accountable, or to present the initiatives that we want on the table to the body,' he said. The citizen-led ballot initiative process garnered much attention during the 2024 election cycle with groups collecting signatures for nearly a dozen ballot measures that addressed a range of topics, including eliminating the tampon tax, expanding abortion access and increasing government transparency. The sole intiative to make it to the ballot was a measure to repeal a Pope County casino license, which voters approved in November. A measure to expand medical marijuana access appeared on the ballot, but an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling prohibited votes for the measure from being counted. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX After the committee approved HB 1221 on a split voice vote, members next considered another bill from Ray, who said he doesn't believe the current process for reviewing proposed ballot measures is strong enough to protect voters from problematic ballot language. Currently, Arkansas' attorney general can deem a proposed ballot measure insufficient for issues like a misleading title or confusing language. House Bill 1222 would expand the AG's authority to reject a proposal if it conflicts with the U.S. Constitution or federal statutes. Additionally, HB 1222 would prevent a sponsor from submitting more than one conflicting petition at the same time, which Ray said 'closes an egregious loophole in the process that led to abuse of this process last session.' Collins and Rep. Nicole Clowney, D-Fayetteville, questioned how this might conflict with the separation of powers by placing the Supreme Court's power in the attorney general's hands. Both Ray and Noah Watson, deputy attorney general of the opinions and FOIA division, said this bill would allow the question of constitutionality to be considered at the beginning of the process instead of the end. They also said petitioners who feel they've been aggrieved would still have the right to appeal the attorney general's decision to the state Supreme Court as they do now. Three members of the public spoke against the bill. No one spoke in support of it. In explaining her reasoning for voting against the measure, Clowney expressed concern over a section of the bill that would prohibit sponsors from submitting multiple petitions that are 'conflicting measures.' The bill defines conflicting measures as petitions that 'cover the same subject matter; are for the same general purpose; and contain different language in any part of their full texts, ballot titles or popular names.' 'We are giving any future attorney general truly what I see, I cannot read as any other way than a blank check to deny anything that is even closely related,' Clowney said. Other committee members joined Clowney in rejecting the measure, which ultimately passed on a close voice vote. The final and least controversial of Ray's proposals considered by the committee was House Bill 1223, which would allow a candidate for the Arkansas Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals who is currently serving in that position as an appointee to use that position as a prefix on the ballot. The measure passed with no discussion on a unanimous voice vote. All three bills will next be considered by the full House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
