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3 Document(s) [ Subject: Hotel occupancy taxes ]

Committee: Senate Natural Resources and Economic Development
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Abandoned oil wells | Boycotts | Carbon capture and sequestration | Economic development incentives | Emergency Management, Texas Division of | Fire prevention | Hotel occupancy taxes | Investment of public funds | Job training programs | Natural gas | Natural gas supplies | Parks and Wildlife, Texas Department of | Recycling | Tax incentives | Theft | Wildfires |
Library Call Number: L1836.87 N219e
Session: 87th R.S. (2021)
Online version: View report [70 pages  File size: 1,928 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Economic Development Programs: Review the programs in Chapters 380 and 381 of the Local Government Code. Consider the benefits of each program in generating economic development. Make recommendations for improvements to Chapters 380 and 381 to increase transparency and accountability and the effectiveness of the programs.
2. Hotel Occupancy Taxes: Study the collection and use of hotel occupancy taxes. Evaluate and make recommendations related to the effectiveness, costs of rebates, incentives, and other taxes applied to qualified hotel and convention center projects. Investigate and determine whether the creation of a standard Hotel Occupancy Tax legislative template is feasible, and whether it would enable the legislature to more efficiently evaluate proposed Hotel Occupancy Tax bills during the legislative session.
3. Natural Gas Storage: Study the economic benefits of expanding the state's underground natural gas storage capacity and infrastructure. Investigate and make recommendations for additional natural gas transportation opportunities.
4. Wildfires and Prescribed Burns: Examine ways to reduce the risk of and destructive impact of wildfires. Monitor the role the Prescribed Burning Board plays in controlled burns. Recommend practices and improvements that public and private landowners may use to reduce fire risks.
5. Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development passed by the 87th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of the following:
  • SB 13, 87th R.S., Relating to state contracts with and investments in certain companies that boycott energy companies;
  • HB 1247, 87th R.S., Relating to the development of and report on a triagency work-based learning strategic framework by the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
  • HB 1284, 87th R.S., Relating to the regulation of the injection and geologic storage of carbon dioxide in this state;
  • HB 3973, 87th R.S., Relating to a study on abandoned oil and gas wells in this state and the use of the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund; and
  • HB 4110, 87th R.S., Relating to the registration of metal recycling.
Committee: House Ways and Means
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Hotel occupancy taxes | Local taxes | Natural gas industry | Oil industry | Property taxes | Sales taxes | School finance | Tax assessor-collectors | Water recycling |
Library Call Number: L1836.86 W368
Session: 86th R.S. (2019)
Online version: View report [120 pages  File size: 2,061 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 86th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
  • SB 2,which is the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act of 2019. Monitor the implementation of the legislation, including a review of the tax rates adopted by taxing units in 2019 and 2020, the appraisal review board survey system, and progress in onboarding the tax rate notices and websites. Make recommendations for modifications as necessary and appropriate.
  • HB 1525 and HB 2153, which relate to the collection of sales and use taxes by marketplaces and out-of-state businesses. Monitor the Comptroller of Public Accounts' rules regulating the collection of sales, use, and franchise tax to ensure compliance by marketplace providers and out-of-state businesses and monitor any revenue increases as a result of implementation of these bills.
  • HB 4347, which relates to the use of hotel occupancy, sales, and mixed beverage tax revenue for qualified projects. Examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the hotel projects, qualified hotel projects, and uses of local hotel occupancy tax revenue. Examine the negative fiscal impact to the state resulting from the dedication of the state portion of those taxes.
2. Study and consider possible methods of providing property tax relief, including potential sources of revenue that may be used to reduce or eliminate school district maintenance and operations property tax rates.
3. Study the role of the local option sales and use tax, including: an analysis of the available uses for those taxes, specifically economic development agreements; the statewide distribution of local tax rates; the proportion of the local government budget supported by sales and use taxes; the application of consistent sales sourcing rules; and the impact of shifting from origin to destination sourcing.
4. Evaluate the status of water recycling and reuse efforts in the oil and gas industry in Texas and elsewhere. Evaluate options for tax credits, deductions, or discounts to encourage recycling, treatment, or reuse of produced water from oil and gas production activities. Make recommendations on statutory or regulatory changes needed to promote recycling and reuse strategies for produced water. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Energy Resources)
5. Review the use of third-party tax collection firms, including law firms and tax specialty firms, by governmental units. Evaluate what methods other states use to collect taxes. Determine whether the use of those firms is cost-effective for the taxing jurisdiction or if the tax collection efforts should be performed by the taxing units directly.
6. Monitor the State Auditor's review of agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction. The Chair shall seek input and periodic briefings on completed audits for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years and bring forth pertinent issues for full committee consideration
Committee: Senate Natural Resources and Economic Development
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Economy | Environmental protection | Hotel occupancy taxes | Natural disasters | Rules and regulations | Solid waste disposal |
Library Call Number: L1836.85 N219E
Session: 85th R.S. (2017)
Online version: View report [87 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Hotel Occupancy Taxes: Study and make recommendations regarding the collection and use of hotel occupancy taxes to increase transparency in the imposition, rate, and use of such taxes.
2. Regulatory Barriers: Identify options to maintain our state's competitive advantage and make recommendations to remove or reduce administrative or regulatory barriers hindering economic growth, including permitting or registration requirements and fees.
3. Environmental Safety: Study the strategies and best practices for ensuring environmental safety during maintenance, startup, and shutdown activities due to emergencies. Recommend actions to improve safety without compromising compliance or penalizing good actors.
4. Waste Disposal Regulation: Study the permitting and compliance processes for waste disposal and processing, including evaluating the criteria for approval, denial, and application return. Make recommendations for improving and streamlining the permitting and compliance processes while maximizing public participation for effective outreach and education. Review the allocation of the Municipal Solid Waste disposal fees and make recommendations regarding allocation methods to adequately support existing programs.
5. Monitoring: Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature, including: • Texas Railroad Commission Sunset and funding; • Environmental Regulatory and Legal Primacy; and • The effectiveness of emission reductions recognized from the Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP) and grant flexibility.

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