HB 5494
Authorizing county commissions to impose a county-wide emergency services fee on hotel stays.
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Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed House of Delegates
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill allows West Virginia county commissions to charge a fee on hotel stays to help fund local emergency services. The fee would be a maximum of $5 per night per occupied room and would be collected by hotel operators and, potentially, marketplace facilitators. The money collected would be used exclusively for county emergency services like EMS, fire departments, and law enforcement. The bill establishes a special revenue fund and outlines enforcement mechanisms.
Key provisions
- Authorizes county commissions to impose an emergency services fee on hotel stays.
- Sets a maximum fee of $5 per night per occupied room.
- Allows county commissions to require marketplace facilitators to collect and remit the fee.
- Establishes a ‘County Emergency Services Fund’ to hold the collected fees.
- Specifies that funds in the ‘County Emergency Services Fund’ can only be used for emergency services.
- Outlines enforcement measures, including penalties for non-compliance.
- Requires operators and marketplace facilitators to maintain records and make them available for inspection.
- Sets an effective date for the bill and any related county commission orders.
Who is affected
- County Commissions
- Hotel Operators
- Hotel Occupants
- Marketplace Facilitators
- Residents of West Virginia Counties
Notable changes
- Creates a new source of funding specifically for county emergency services.
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