Common Ground profiles members of opposing parties who are working together to advance issues important to hoteliers.
by SEAN GROSSNICKLE
THE ISSUE
Since 2003, a hotel occupancy tax has funded New Jersey’s tourism marketing campaign, which in 2018 attracted more than 100 million tourists who spent $44 billion while visiting the Garden State. For every dollar New Jersey invests in destination marketing, there is a $32 return to the state. In addition to tourism marketing, the occupancy tax supports various cultural and historical programs while spurring economic growth throughout the state. However, the annual funding for these state-run programs was frozen at the legal minimum for the past 10 years.
COMMON GROUND
Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the New Jersey General Assembly and Senate unanimously passed legislation (A3101 & S247) that will increase the state’s annual funding for tourism marketing, cultural, and historical programs. On Jan. 14, 2020, Gov. Murphy signed this bipartisan bill into law, securing a substantial boost in tourism marketing that increased the annual budget from $9 million to $17.6 million.
AAHOA extends its gratitude to the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, lawmakers, and other industry partners for the years of hard work they dedicated to passing this legislation.
SPONSORS AND CO-SPONSORS OF THE LEGISLATION
Sen. Troy Singleton (D-7)
Sen. Chris A. Brown (R-2)
Sen. Tony Bucco (R-25)
Sen. Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-5)
Sen. Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (D-18)
Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11)
Sen. Linda R. Greenstein (D-14)
Sen. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-21)
Fmr. Sen. Robert M. Gordon (D-38)
Fmr. Sen. Jeff Van Drew (R-1)
Asm. Dan Benson (D-14)
Asm. Jon Bramnick (R-21)
Asm. Clinton Calabrese (D-36)
Asm. Ralph R. Caputo (D-28)
Asm. Nicholas Chiaravalloti (D-31)
Asm. Ronald Stanley Dancer (R-12)
Asw. Serena DiMaso (R-13)
Asm. Jamel Curtis Holley (D-20)
Asw. Mila M. Jasey (D-27)
Asm. Gordon M. Johnson (D-37)
Asm. Robert Karabinchak (D-18)
Asm. Sean T. Kean (R-30)
Asm. Jim Kennedy (D-22)
Asw. Gabby Mosquera (D-4)
Asm. Raj Mukherji (D-33)
Asw. Carol Murphy (D-7)
Asw. Annette Quijano (D-20)
Asw. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15)
Asm. John F. McKeon (D-27)
Asw. Shanique Speight (D-29)
Asw. Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37)
Asm. Andrew P. Zwicker (D-16)
Fmr. Asm. Bob Andrzejczak (D-1)
Fmr. Asm. Bruce Land (D-1)
Fmr. Asm. Matthew W. Milam (D-1)
Fmr. Asw. Patricia Egan Jones (D-5)
