SB1412: Oklahoma Says ‘No’ to Tourism Fund Changes

Failed bill leaves Oklahoma’s general fund untouched: tourism takes a hit

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Photo bySplitShire

What did SB1412 want to accomplish?

SB1412 wanted to change how Oklahoma plannned to use some of the money it gets from sales taxes, especially to support tourism.

The bill would have changed how the sales tax money is divided for certain years, starting in 2025.

More of this money would have gone to help promote tourism and improve tourism-related projects, and less would have gone into the state's general fund. Another part of the bill would have allowed money from the tourism fund to be used to pay employees, which wasn't allowed before. However, there would have been limits on how much of the money could be used for the department’s day-to-day operations.

Who would have benefited from this law?

✔️Oklahoma’s Tourism Industry: More money will go towards promoting tourism and improving tourism-related facilities, which can attract more visitors and boost local businesses.

✔️Tourism Workers: The change allows some of the tourism funds to be used to pay employees, helping those who work in tourism-related jobs.

✔️Local Communities: Increased tourism can bring in more visitors, boosting local economies, especially in areas with popular attractions.

✔️Tourists: Visitors to Oklahoma may benefit from improved facilities and better tourism services due to increased funding for tourism projects.

What are some concerns people might have about this law?

Some of these may be reasons why the bill failed to pass:

⚠️Less Money for General Services: Since more money will go to tourism, there will be less available for the state's General Revenue Fund, which pays for things like schools, healthcare, and other public services.

⚠️Limited Tourism Operations Funding: While the law allows some money to be used for tourism employee wages, it sets limits on how much can be used for day-to-day operations, which could cause challenges for managing tourism projects.

⚠️Short-Term Focus: By focusing on tourism for certain fiscal years, other long-term state needs might be overlooked or underfunded.

⚠️Overreliance on Tourism: If tourism doesn't generate as much income as expected, other areas of the state’s budget could suffer because of the reduced funding in the General Revenue Fund.

This bill was introduced on 2/19/24 by Senator George Burns [R] and Representative Tammy Townley [R].

Due to a lack of support, missed deadlines, committee action, leadership decisions or veto, this bill failed to pass and will not be signed into law.

➡️Is this something that you think Oklahomans need? How would it have benefited the county you live in?

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Hi, I'm Judy! I love talking about the area I live in and what affects us. Follow me if you'd like more stories like this.