Rhode Island 2023 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H6465 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2023 -- H 6465
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7	7	LC003126
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9	9	S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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14	14	J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
15	15	AUTHORIZING APPROPRIATION OF FIVE MILLION DOLLARS ($5,000,000) TO
16	16	COMMERCE RHODE ISLAN D FOR EXPRESS PURPOSE OF PROVIDING BASE LEVEL
17	17	OPERATION FUNDS FOR LOCAL VISITOR CENTERS
18	18	Introduced By: Representatives Messier, Alzate, Stewart, Cruz, and Shallcross Smith
19	19	Date Introduced: May 31, 2023
20	20	Referred To: House Finance
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23	23	WHEREAS, Welcome centers, also commonly known as visitors' centers, visitor 1
24	24	information centers, or tourist information centers, are buildings located at either entrances to 2
25	25	states on major ports of entry, such as interstates or major highways. These welcome centers, 3
26	26	which first opened on May 4, 1935 next to U.S. Route 12 in New Buffalo, Michigan, are 4
27	27	locations that serve as a rest area for motorists, a source of information for tourists or new 5
28	28	residents that enter a state or a region of a state, and a showcase for the state/region. 6
29	29	WHEREAS, Welcome centers can be thought as covering several different concepts: 7
30	30	state-owned and operated welcome centers near a state's border, state or municipal-owned and 8
31	31	operated visitors centers in cities or rural areas, and service plazas on toll roads, that are either 9
32	32	state-owned and operated, state-owned but operated by a private company, or privately owned 10
33	33	and operated. (Visitors' centers in cities can either be owned and operated by the state, a county, a 11
34	34	municipality, a local Chamber of Commerce, or be a joint effort between a county and/or a city 12
35	35	and a Chamber of Commerce to support and publicize a well-known tourist district, city, or 13
36	36	region.) States have different ways of naming welcome centers, but some of the most common 14
37	37	ones are welcome centers, visitor’s centers, or visitor’s information centers. 15
38	38	WHEREAS, Visitor centers help increase travel and tourism statewide. 16
39	39	WHEREAS, There exists several visitor centers located throughout the state consisting of 17
40	40	the following: 18
41	41	Washington County 19
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45	45	Block Island-Block Island Tourism Council, Charlestown-Charlestown Chamber of 1
46	46	Commerce and Wakefield-South County Tourism Council 2
47	47	Newport County 3
48	48	Newport-Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau 4
49	49	Providence County 5
50	50	Central Falls-Blackstone Valley Visitors Center; with satellite locations in Pawtucket and 6
51	51	Woonsocket 7
52	52	WHEREAS, An example of the extraordinary positive impact visitor centers and the 8
53	53	organizations that manage visitor centers have on the quality of life for residents and visitors is 9
54	54	illustrated by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and the Blackstone Valley Visitors Center. 10
55	55	WHEREAS, Since 1985, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council has been at the 11
56	56	forefront of sustainable destination development, place making, community building and 12
57	57	resiliency, and education. The Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves Rhode Island's ten (10) 13
58	58	Blackstone River Valley communities. It has a governing Board of Directors and is not 14
59	59	membership based. It serves the three hundred ten thousand (310,000) residents of Rhode Island's 15
60	60	Blackstone Valley. The Council is an environmental educator and operates the Blackstone Valley 16
61	61	Explorer, a forty (40) passenger Riverboat that takes students of all ages on the river and has just 17
62	62	opened the River Science Center at new offices located at 1420 Broad Street at Central Falls 18
63	63	Landing. The Council also produces the Dragon Boat Races held in Pawtucket, the Polar Express 19
64	64	Train Ride from the Depot in Woonsocket, manages the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center in 20
65	65	Pawtucket for over twenty-five (25) years, plus it works with the municipalities and state 21
66	66	agencies to improve the quality of life for our residents. BVTC efforts also include promotion of 22
67	67	local businesses which serve as destinations, marketing for the local food and drink industry to 23
68	68	the region, and spurring and facilitating activation of the Blackstone River through seasonal 24
69	69	events, river boat tours, the Taiwanese Dragon Boat Festival, and other major initiatives. 25
70	70	WHEREAS, The Council was the first destination in the world to receive the United 26
71	71	Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) Ulysses Prize that merits distinction for 27
72	72	innovative contributions to tourism policy, tourism sustainable planning, environment protection 28
73	73	and new technologies. In 2006, the Council achieved the UNWTO'S best Certification in tourism 29
74	74	governance. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2008, recognized the 30
75	75	Blackstone Valley Tourism Council with their Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Award, the 31
76	76	most prestigious sustainable tourism development award in the world. In their comments, the 32
77	77	WTTC noted the Council's integrated, community-centered, resilient approach to tourism 33
78	78	development and community building. 34
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82	82	WHEREAS, BVTC has three (3) locations throughout Northern Rhode Island 1
83	83	(Woonsocket, Central Falls and Pawtucket). In addition, BVTC’s Pawtucket location is directly 2
84	84	adjacent to the Old Slater Mill-National Historic Park Site run by the National Park Service 3
85	85	(NPS). The Pawtucket Visitor’s Center serves as the unofficial unfunded visitor’s center for both 4
86	86	the NPS and the John Chafee National Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor that runs from 5
87	87	Pawtucket to the state’s border in Woonsocket. 6
88	88	WHEREAS, The impact of reinvestment in the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center is 7
89	89	important for Pawtucket's growth. With the coming together of the community development 8
90	90	elements stated the results will bring about the cohesion needed for the city to grow. The 9
91	91	Blackstone Valley Visitor Center has three (3) entrances: one facing City Hall, one facing the 10
92	92	National Park and one facing Main Street. These strategic openings allow for people to access the 11
93	93	Blackstone Valley Visitor Center for business. Because the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center is 12
94	94	active, it has attracted the Rhode Island Football Club as a tenant and the Globaltise digital/video 13
95	95	production corporation as tenants. The Blackstone Valley Visitor Center's staff directs residents 14
96	96	and visitors to find the local shops, restaurants, and services to increase revenues locally and 15
97	97	state-wide; now, therefore be it 16
98	98	RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not 17
99	99	otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year 2023-2024, the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) 18
100	100	to Commerce Rhode Island for the express and limited purpose of providing base level operation 19
101	101	funds for local visitor centers. 20
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103	103	LC003126
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108	108	EXPLANATION
109	109	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
110	110	OF
111	111	J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
112	112	AUTHORIZING APPROPRI ATION OF FIVE MILLION DOLLARS ($5,000,000) TO
113	113	COMMERCE RHODE ISLAN D FOR EXPRESS PURPOSE OF PROVIDING BASE LEVEL
114	114	OPERATION FUNDS FOR LOCAL VISITOR CENTERS
115	115	***
116	116	This resolution authorizes the appropriation of the sum of five million dollars 1
117	117	($5,000,000) to Commerce Rhode Island for funding of local visitor centers. 2
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119	119	LC003126
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