Text: HF02055                           Text: HF02057
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House File 2056

Partial Bill History

Bill Introduced: H.J. 79.2
Complete Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  Section 15.271, subsection 1, paragraph e, Code
  1  2 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    e.  A program shall be established to plan, acquire,
  1  4 develop, promote, operate, and maintain a variety of welcome
  1  5 centers at strategic locations to meet the needs of travelers
  1  6 in the state.  The program is intended to be accomplished by
  1  7 1992.
  1  8    Sec. 2.  Section 15.272, Code 2003, is amended to read as
  1  9 follows:
  1 10    15.272  STATEWIDE WELCOME CENTER PROGRAM – OBJECTIVES AND
  1 11 AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES – PILOT PROJECTS.
  1 12    1.  The state agencies, as indicated in this section, shall
  1 13 undertake certain specific functions to implement the goals of
  1 14 a statewide program, including the pilot projects, for welcome
  1 15 centers.
  1 16    1. 2.  The department and the state department of
  1 17 transportation shall jointly establish a statewide long-range
  1 18 plan for developing and operating welcome centers throughout
  1 19 the state.  The plan shall be submitted to the general
  1 20 assembly by January 15, 1988.  By January 1, 2005, the
  1 21 existing long-range plan shall be reviewed and amended by the
  1 22 departments.  The departments shall review and amend the plan
  1 23 as needed thereafter.  The plan and any amended plan shall
  1 24 address, but not be limited to, the following:
  1 25    a.  Integrating state, regional, and local tourism and
  1 26 recreation marketing and promotion plans.
  1 27    b.  Recommending a wide range of centers, including state-
  1 28 developed and state-operated to privately managed facilities.
  1 29    c.  Establishing design, service, and maintenance quality
  1 30 standards which all welcome centers will maintain.  Included
  1 31 in the standards shall be a provision requiring that space or
  1 32 facilities be available for purposes of displaying and
  1 33 offering for sale Iowa-made products, crafts, and arts.  The
  1 34 space or facilities may be operated by the department or
  1 35 leased to and operated by other persons.
  2  1    d.  Making projections of increased tourist spending,
  2  2 indirect economic benefits, and direct revenue production
  2  3 which are estimated to occur as a result of implementing a
  2  4 statewide welcome center program.
  2  5    e.  Projecting estimated acquisition, construction,
  2  6 exhibit, staffing, and maintenance costs.
  2  7    f.  Integrating electronic data telecommunications systems.
  2  8    g.  Identifying sites for maintaining existing centers as
  2  9 well as locations for new centers.  In the amended long-range
  2 10 plan due by January 1, 2005, the departments shall increase
  2 11 the number of welcome centers to be developed and operated in
  2 12 the state and shall identify locations for the new welcome
  2 13 centers.
  2 14    3.  The departments department and the state department of
  2 15 transportation may enter into contracts for the preparation of
  2 16 the long-range plan and subsequent amended plans.  The
  2 17 departments shall involve the department of natural resources
  2 18 and the department of cultural affairs in the preparation of
  2 19 the plan and subsequent amended plans.  The recommendations
  2 20 and comments of organizations representing hospitality and
  2 21 tourism services, including but not limited to, the regional
  2 22 tourism councils, convention and visitors bureaus, and the
  2 23 Iowa travel council, and others with interests in this program
  2 24 will be considered for incorporation in the plan and
  2 25 subsequent amended plans.  Prior to submission of the plan to
  2 26 the general assembly, the The plan and subsequent amended
  2 27 plans shall be submitted to the regional tourism councils, the
  2 28 convention and visitors bureaus, and the Iowa travel council
  2 29 for their comments and criticisms which shall be submitted by
  2 30 the department along with the plan to the general assembly.
  2 31    2. 4.  The responsibilities of the department of economic
  2 32 development include the following:
  2 33    a.  Seeing to the acquisition of property and the
  2 34 construction of all new welcome centers including the pilot
  2 35 projects selected by the department pursuant to paragraph "e".
  3  1 In carrying out this responsibility the department may, but is
  3  2 not limited to, the following:
  3  3    (1)  Arrange for the state department of transportation to
  3  4 acquire title to land and buildings for use as and undertake
  3  5 construction of state-owned welcome centers.  In acquiring
  3  6 property and constructing the welcome centers, including any
  3  7 pilot projects, the state department of transportation may use
  3  8 any funds available to it, including but not limited to, the
  3  9 RISE fund, matching funds from local units of government or
  3 10 organizations, the primary road fund, federal grants, and
  3 11 moneys specifically appropriated for these purposes.
  3 12    (2)  Contract with other state agencies, local units of
  3 13 government, or private groups, organizations, or entities for
  3 14 the use of land, buildings, or facilities as state welcome
  3 15 centers or in connection with state welcome centers, whether
  3 16 or not the property is actually owned by the state.  If the
  3 17 local match required for pilot projects or which may be
  3 18 required for other welcome centers is met by providing land,
  3 19 buildings, or facilities, the entity providing the local match
  3 20 shall enter into an agreement with the department of economic
  3 21 development to either transfer title of the property to the
  3 22 state or to dedicate the use of the property under the
  3 23 conditions and period of time set by the department.
  3 24    b.  Providing for the operations, management, and
  3 25 maintenance of the state-owned and state-operated welcome
  3 26 centers, including the collection and distribution of tourism
  3 27 literature, telecommunication services, and other travel-
  3 28 related services, and the display and offering for sale of
  3 29 Iowa-made products, crafts, and arts.
  3 30    c.  Providing, at the discretion of the department,
  3 31 financial assistance in the form of loans and grants to
  3 32 privately operated information centers to the extent the
  3 33 centers are consistent with the long-range plan and subsequent
  3 34 amended plans.
  3 35    d.  Developing a common theme or graphic logo which will be
  4  1 identified with all welcome centers which meet the standards
  4  2 of operations established for those centers.
  4  3    e.  Selecting the sites for the pilot projects.  In
  4  4 selecting the pilot project sites, the following apply:
  4  5    (1)  Up to three sites may be located in proximity to the
  4  6 interstates and up to three sites may be located in proximity
  4  7 to the other primary roads.  The department shall select at
  4  8 least one site which is in proximity to a primary road which
  4  9 is not an interstate.
  4 10    (2)  Proposals for the sites must be submitted prior to
  4 11 September 1, 1987 and shall contain a commitment of at least a
  4 12 one-dollar-per-dollar match of state financial assistance.
  4 13 The local match may be in terms of land, buildings, or other
  4 14 noncash items which are acceptable by the department.
  4 15    (3)  Priority shall be given to proposals that have the
  4 16 best local match, that are to be located where there is a very
  4 17 high number of travelers passing, and for which the
  4 18 department, after consultation with the departments of
  4 19 transportation, natural resources, and cultural affairs,
  4 20 considers the chances of success to be nearly perfect.
  4 21    (4)  The department shall select the sites by September 15,
  4 22 1987.  
  4 23                           EXPLANATION
  4 24    This bill relates to the statewide welcome center program,
  4 25 which was originally enacted in 1987.
  4 26    The bill removes language relating to the original pilot
  4 27 project sites, the requirement that the original statewide
  4 28 long-range plan for welcome centers be submitted to the
  4 29 general assembly, and a 1992 deadline for implementation of
  4 30 the program.
  4 31    The bill requires the department of economic development
  4 32 and the state department of transportation to review and amend
  4 33 the existing long-range plan by January 1, 2005.  The bill
  4 34 requires the departments to review and amend the plan as
  4 35 needed thereafter.  The amended long-range plan, due by
  5  1 January 1, 2005, is to include an increase in the number of
  5  2 welcome centers to be developed and operated in the state and
  5  3 to identify the locations for new welcome centers.
  5  4    The bill makes conforming amendments relating to subsequent
  5  5 amended long-range plans.  
  5  6 LSB 5108HH 80
  5  7 tm/pj/5

Text: HF02055                           Text: HF02057
Text: HF02000 - HF02099                 Text: HF Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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