This bill proposes the creation of a county tourism development fund, which will be a nonlapsing fund in the state treasury known as the county tourism development fund. The fund will be administered by the division of travel and tourism development within the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. It is designed to support county tourism initiatives, including the establishment of new tourism regions, place-making efforts, business, and recreation development. The fund is capped at a balance of $750,000 in any fiscal year, and each county can receive grants of up to $75,000 per fiscal year from this fund. The director of travel and tourism development will have discretion over the allocation of funds to counties based on specific needs and will establish a grant program with rules for application and distribution of funds.

The bill also includes an appropriation of $750,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, to the Department of Business and Economic Affairs for the purposes specified in the new section. The funding for the grant program will come from the division under RSA 12-O:11-b from meals and rooms tax revenues. The fiscal note indicates that the state will see an increase in expenditures up to $750,000 annually from FY 2024 to FY 2026, with corresponding revenue and expenditures for counties up to $750,000 annually. The act will take effect 60 days after its passage. The bill includes deletions and insertions, but the specific legal language changes are not provided in the text summary.