An effort to increase the state hotel tax by $25 to offset the impact of visitors on the environment and climate change has stalled this legislative session but the concept of a “green fee” remains alive and will likely return with a new funding plan next session.
House Speaker Scott Saiki introduced House Bill 2406 on behalf of Gov. Josh Green that would have added another $25 to the state’s transient accommodations tax that would go into a new Climate Health and Environmental Action Special Fund, “to minimize the impacts of, and respond to, climate crises,” the administration wrote in support of the bill.
The fund would be available for a wide range of uses including, “wildfire prevention and response strategies, flood prevention, emergency drinking water supplies, shoreline restoration and coastal management, and preparation of climate crises prevention and response strategies and plans,” according to testimony from the…
tourism-impact-fee-appears-dead-expected-to-be-retooled/” target=”_blank”>Read further.