Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4633%20intr.htm&yr=2012&sesstype=RS&i=4633
Timestamp: 2018-01-24 12:47:31
Document Index: 485074091

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HB 4633 Text
Introduced Version House Bill 4633 History
A BILL to repeal §29-25-7 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §29-25-1, §29-25-2, §29-25-3, §29-25-5, §29-25-6, §29-25-9, §29-25-12, §29-25-15, §29-25-18, §29-25-19, §29-25-20, §29-25-21, §29-25-22, §29-25-22a, §29-25-24 §29-25-28, §29-25-29, §29-25-30, §29-25-31, §29-25-32, §29-25-34, §29-25-35, §29-25-37 and §29-25-38 of said code; and to amend said code by adding thereto two new sections, designated §29-25-22b and §29-25-22c, all relating to miscellaneous boards and officers; authorized gaming facility; including a rural resort community as limited gaming facility; providing definition of rural resort community; creating the Rural Resort Community Fund and Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund; otherwise providing for the regulation and control of a rural resort community; and repealing the local option provision of this article.
That §29-25-7 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be repealed; that §29-25-1, §29-25-2, §29-25-3, §29-25-5, §29-25-6, §29-25-9, §29-25-12, §29-25-15, §29-25-18, §29-25-19, §29-25-20, §29-25-21, §29-25-22, §29-25-22a, §29-25-24, §29-25-28, §29-25-29, §29-25-30, §29-25-31, §29-25-32, §29-25-34, §29-25-35, §29-25-37 and §29-25-38 of said code be amended and reenacted; and that said code be amended by adding thereto two new sections, designated §29-25-22b and §29-25-22c, all to read as follows:
(b) Legislative findings. -- The Legislature finds and declares that the tourism industry plays a critical role in the economy of this state and that a substantial state interest exists in protecting that industry. It further finds and declares that the authorization of the operation of a gaming facility at no more than one well-established historic resort hotel or rural resort community in this state as provided in this article will serve to protect and enhance the tourism industry, and indirectly other segments of the economy of this state, by providing a resort hotel amenity which is becoming increasingly important to many actual and potential resort hotel patrons.
(c) Legislative intent. -- It is the intent of the Legislature in the enactment of this article to promote tourism and year-round employment in this state. It is expressly not the intent of the Legislature to promote gaming. As a consequence, it is the intent of the Legislature to allow limited gaming as authorized by this article and article twenty-two-c of this chapter with all moneys gained from the operation of the a gaming facility, other than those necessary to reimburse reasonable costs of operation, to inure to the benefit of the state. Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that amendments made to this article during the 2009 regular session will establish appropriate conformity between the operations of video lottery and West Virginia Lottery table games at the a licensed gaming facility under this article and the operations of video lottery and table games at the pari-mutuel racetracks licensed under articles twenty-two-a and twenty-two-c of this chapter.
(cc) "Premises of a Rural Resort Community" means the rural resort community, attachments of the rural resort community, and the immediate grounds of the rural resort community.
(dd) “Promotional credits” means credits given by the licensed gaming facility or licensed racetrack to players allowing limited free play of video lottery terminals in total amounts and under conditions approved in advance by the commission.
(1) A planned community with no less than one thousand planned home sites occupying no less than one thousand contigous acres which includes;
(2) Hotel or Lodge having not fewer than one hundred fifty guestrooms;
(4) Specific amenities for guests and residents including green spaces, walking, hiking, jogging trails, swimming pools, lakes or other areas, tennis facilities, golfing facilities, fitness facilities, private, public and community meeting space and other recreation activities;
(5) An overall project cost of no less than $80 million at the time of any application toward gaming license;
(6) Located in a county where;
(A) There is an adequate economic base within the county from any source other than tourism,
(B) Has a population of less than fifteen persons per square mile in an overall county population of less than ten thousand persons according to the most recent United States Census at the time of application;
(C) Has access to State and National forest within the county in which the rural resort community is located;
(I) Receive, accept and pay the specified percentage of taxes collected under sections twenty and twenty-one of this article into the Historic Resort Hotel Fund or under sections twenty and twenty-one-b of this article into the Rural Resort Community Fund; and
(ii) Receive, accept and pay the specified percentage of taxes collected under sections twenty and twenty-one of this article into the Human Resource Benefit Fund or under sections twenty and twenty-one-c of this article into the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund;
The commission shall propose for promulgation legislative rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code as are necessary to provide for implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this article. Any legislative rules proposed by the commission before September 1, 2009 2012, may be by emergency rule.
(a) Generally. -- Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, the commission shall, by contract or cooperative agreement with the West Virginia State Police, arrange for those law-enforcement services uniquely related to gaming as such occurs at the a gaming facility that are necessary to enforce the provisions of this article.
(a) Single license. -- The commission may issue only one license to operate a gaming facility. If the one license limitation in the preceding sentence is found to be unconstitutional in a final, nonappealable order by a court of competent jurisdiction, the commission shall have no authority to issue any license under this article and, in such event, the provisions of this article shall not be severable and any license issued under the provisions of this article prior thereto shall be void. The Legislature intends that no more than one license to operate one gaming facility in this state shall be authorized in any event. License.-- The commission may issue licenses to operate a gaming facility.
(b) Applicant qualifications. -- The applicant shall be the actual operator of the gaming facility to be located on the premises of an existing historic resort hotel or rural resort community. The applicant may be the owner of the existing historic resort hotel or rural resort community or a person that leases well-defined spaces on the premises of the historic resort hotel or rural resort community in order to operate a gaming facility as defined by this article. The resort hotel shall be located within the jurisdiction of a county approving the operation of a gaming facility in accordance with section seven of this article. The applicant shall meet the qualifications and requirements set forth in this article and rules adopted by the commission. In determining whether to grant a license to operate a gaming facility to an applicant, the commission shall consider:
(c) Floor plan submission requirement. -- Prior to commencing the operation of any West Virginia Lottery table game in a designated gaming area, the a gaming facility licensee shall submit to the commission for its approval a detailed floor plan depicting the location of the designated gaming area in which West Virginia Lottery table game gaming equipment will be located and its proposed arrangement of the West Virginia Lottery table game gaming equipment. If the floor plans for the designated gaming area preserve the historic integrity of the historic resort hotel or rural resort community where the licensed gaming facility is located, then any floor plan submission that satisfies the requirements of the rules promulgated by the commission shall be considered approved by the commission unless a gaming facility is notified in writing to the contrary within one month of filing a detailed floor plan.
(h) Gaming facility qualifications. -- An applicant for a license to operate a gaming facility shall demonstrate that the gaming facility will: (1) Be accessible to disabled individuals; (2) not be located at the main entrance to the historic resort hotel or rural resort community; (3) be licensed in accordance with all other applicable federal, state and local laws; and (4) meet any other qualifications specified by rules adopted by the commission.
(I) Surety bond requirement. -- The A licensed gaming facility shall execute a surety bond to be given to the state to guarantee the licensee faithfully makes all payments in accordance with the provisions of this article and rules promulgated by the commission. The surety bond shall be:
(l) Annual license renewal fee. –- For the second year that it is licensed, the a licensed gaming facility shall pay to the commission a license renewal fee of $250,000. For the third year that it is licensed, the a licensed gaming facility shall pay to the commission a license renewal fee of $500,000. For every year after the third year that it is licensed, the a licensed gaming facility shall pay to the commission a license renewal fee that is calculated by determining the annual average gross receipts of the West Virginia pari-mutuel racetracks with table games licenses for the last full fiscal year of adjusted gross receipts available, and dividing that number into the licensed gaming facility operator’s adjusted gross receipts for the same full fiscal year of adjusted gross receipts to obtain a percentage, and by multiplying the resulting percentage by $2,500,000: Provided, That the amount required to be paid by the licensed gaming facility shall be not less than $500,000, nor more than $2,500,000.
(b) License qualifications. -– To qualify for a license to be employed in a gaming facility, the applicant shall be an individual of good moral character and reputation and have been offered employment by the a gaming facility contingent upon licensure pursuant to the provisions of this section. The commission, by rule, may specify additional requirements to be met by applicants based on the specific job classification in which the applicant is to be employed.
(a) Consent to presence of law-enforcement officers. -- Any individual entering the gaming facility shall be advised by the posting of a notice or other suitable means of the possible presence of state, county or municipal law-enforcement officers and by entering the a gaming facility impliedly consents to the presence of the law-enforcement officers.
(b) Commission discretion in gaming operations. –– Video lottery terminals operated at the a gaming facility may allow minimum and maximum wagers on a single game the amounts determined by the license in the exercise of its business judgment subject to the approval of the commission.
The A licensed gaming facility shall submit thirty-six percent of the gross terminal income from video lottery games at the licensed gaming facility to the commission through electronic funds transfer to be deposited into the Historic Resort Hotel Fund created in section twenty-two of this article if the licensed gaming facility is located in a historic resort hotel or into the Rural Resort Community Fund created in section twenty-two-b of this article if the licensed gaming facility if located in a rural resort community. The licensed gaming facility shall also submit seventeen percent of the gross terminal income from video lottery games at the licensed gaming facility to the commission through electronic funds transfer to be deposited into the Human Resource Benefit Fund created in section twenty-two-a of this article if the licensed gaming facility is located in a historic resort hotel or into the Rural Resort Community Fund created in section twenty-two-b of this article if the licensed gaming facility if located in a rural resort community. Each of these submissions shall be made to the commission weekly. The gaming licensee shall furnish to the commission all information and bank authorizations required to facilitate the timely transfer of moneys to the commission. The gaming licensee shall provide the commission thirty days’ advance notice of any proposed account changes in order to assure the uninterrupted electronic transfer of funds.
(a) Imposition and rate of limited gaming profits tax. -– There is hereby levied and shall be collected a privilege tax against a gaming license in an amount to be determined by the application of the rate against adjusted gross receipts of the licensed gaming facility. The rate of tax is thirty-five percent. Of that thirty-five percent, thirty percent shall be directly deposited by the commission into the Historic Resort Hotel Fund created in section twenty-two of this article if the licensed gaming facility is located in a historic resort hotel or into the Rural Resort Community Fund created in section twenty-two-b of this article if the licensed gaming facility if located in a rural resort community. and the The remaining five percent shall be directly deposited by the commission into the Human Resource Benefit Fund created in section twenty-two-a of this article if the licensed gaming facility is located in a historic resort hotel or into the Rural Resort Community Fund created in section twenty-two-b of this article if the licensed gaming facility if located in a rural resort community. For purposes of calculating the amount of tax due under this section, the licensee shall use the accrual method of accounting. This tax is in addition to all other taxes and fees imposed: Provided, That the consumers sales and service tax imposed pursuant to article fifteen, chapter eleven of this code may not apply to the proceeds from any wagering with respect to a West Virginia Lottery table game pursuant to this article.
(b) Computation and payment of tax. –- The taxes levied under the provisions of this section are due and payable to the commission in weekly installments on or before the Wednesday of each week. The taxpayer shall, on or before the Wednesday of each week, make out and submit by electronic communication to the commission a return for the preceding week, in the form prescribed by the commission, showing: (1) The total gross receipts from the gaming facility for that month and the adjusted gross receipts; (2) the amount of tax for which the taxpayer is liable; and (3) any further information necessary in the computation and collection of the tax which the Tax Commissioner or the commission may require. Payment of the amount of tax due shall accompany the return. All payments made pursuant to this section shall be deposited in accordance with sections twenty-two and twenty-two-a, twenty-two-b and twenty-two-c of this article. Payments due to the commission under this section and payments due to the commission under section twenty of this article shall be sent simultaneously.
(c) Negative adjusted gross receipts. -- When adjusted gross receipts for a week is a negative number because the winnings paid to patrons wagering on the gaming facility’s West Virginia Lottery table games exceeds the gaming facility’s gross receipts from the purchase of table game tokens, chips or electronic media by patrons, the commission shall allow the licensee to, pursuant to rules of the commission, carry over the negative amount of adjusted gross receipts to returns filed for subsequent weeks. The negative amount of adjusted gross receipts may not be carried back to an earlier week and the commission is not required to refund any tax received by the commission, except when the licensee surrenders its license to act as agent of the commission in operating West Virginia Lottery table game under this article and the licensee’s last return filed under this section shows negative adjusted gross receipts. In that case, the commission shall multiply the amount of negative adjusted gross receipts by the applicable rate of tax and pay the amount to the licensee, in accordance with rules of the commission.
(g) If more than one licensed gaming facility is depositing into the Historic Resort Hotel Fund, then the disbursements required under subdivision (4), (5) and (6) of subsection d of this section shall be prorated based on the total amount of moneys contributed by each licensed gaming facility to the Historic Resort Hotel Fund.
(a) There is hereby created a special fund in the State Treasury which shall be designated and known as the Human Resource Benefit Fund. Seventeen percent of the gross terminal income received by the commission under section twenty of this article and five percent of the adjusted gross receipts received by the commission under section twenty-one of this article shall be deposited with the State Treasurer and placed in the Human Resource Benefit Fund. If more than one licensed gaming facility is depositing into the Human Resource Benefit Fund, then the disbursements required under subsection (b) of this section shall be prorated based on the total amount of monies contributed by each licensed gaming facility to the Human Resource Benefit Fund. The fund shall be an interest-bearing account with interest to be credited to and deposited in the Human Resource Benefit Fund.
(a) There is hereby created a special fund in the State Treasury which shall be designated and known as the Rural Resort Community Fund. Thirty-six percent of the gross terminal income received by the commission under section twenty of this article and thirty percent of the adjusted gross receipts received by the commission under section twenty-one of this article shall be deposited with the State Treasurer and placed in the Rural Resort Community Fund. The fund shall be an interest bearing account with interest to be credited to and deposited in the Rural Resort Community Fund.
(c) A Rural Resort Community Modernization Fund is hereby created within the Rural Resort Community Fund. For all fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2012, the commission shall deduct two and one-half percent from gross terminal income received by the commission under section twenty of this article for the fiscal year and deposit these amounts into a separate facility modernization account maintained within the Rural Resort Community Modernization Fund for each rural resort community. For each dollar expended by a rural resort community for video lottery or table gaming facility modernization improvements at the rural resort community, having a useful life of three or more years and placed in service after July 1, 2012, the rural resort community shall receive $1 in recoupment from its facility modernization account. for purposes of this section, the term "video lottery or table gaming facility modernization improvements include acquisition of computer hardware and software, communications and Internet access equipment, security and surveillance equipment, video lottery terminals and other electronic equipment or other equipment designed to modernize the facility.
(5) The municipality where the gaming facility is located or the municipality closest to the gaming facility by paved road access as of the effective date of the reenactment of this section by the 2012 regular session of the Legislature shall receive two and one-half percent of the Rural Resort Community Fund net income;
(6) The municipalities within the county where the gaming facility is located, except for the municipality receiving funds under subdivision (5) of this subsection, shall receive equal shares of two and one-half percent of the Rural Resort Community Fund net income, if no other municipality is located within the county where the gaming facility is located as of the effective date of the reenactment of this section by the 2012 regular session of the Legislature then the equal shares shall be received by the county's board of education;
(g) If more than one licensed gaming facility is depositing into the Rural Resort Community Fund, then the disbursements required under subdivision (4), (5) and (6) of subsection d of this section shall be prorated based on the total amount of moneys contributed by each licensed gaming facility to the Rural Resort Community Fund.
(a) There is hereby created a special fund in the State Treasury which shall be designated and known as the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund. Seventeen percent of the gross terminal income received by the commission under section twenty of this article and five percent of the adjusted gross receipts received by the commission under section twenty-one of this article shall be deposited with the State Treasurer and placed in the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund. If more than one licensed gaming facility is depositing into the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund, then the disbursements required under subsection (b) of this section shall be prorated based on the total amount of moneys contributed by each licensed gaming facility to the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund. The fund shall be an interest-bearing account with interest to be credited to and deposited in the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund.
(b) For each dollar expended by a rural resort community for fringe benefits for the employees of the rural resort community, the commission shall transfer to the rural resort community one dollar of recoupment from the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund: Provided, That the rural resort community is not entitled to recoupment for money spent on fringe benefits beyond the amount of money available to be expended from the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund at the time the request for recoupment is made by the rural resort community.
(6) The board shall operate in an advisory capacity. its functions shall include, but are not limited to, reviewing and verifying financial audits of the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund conducted by the commission and its employees and reviewing source documents associated with disbursements from the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund.
(8) If more than one licensed gaming facility is depositing into the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund, then there shall be created a separate Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund advisory board for each licensed gaming facility contributing to the Rural Resort Community Human Resource Benefit Fund to audit each of the licensed gaming facilities under the same requirements set forth in this subsection d of this section.
(1) Is If the designated gaming area is located within a historic resort hotel then the individual must be either;
(b) Notwithstanding any provisions of this code to the contrary, no employee of the commission or employee of the historic resort hotel or any member of his or her immediate household may wager at the gaming facility.
(e) Ensure that video lottery terminals are within the sight and control of designated employees of the a license gaming facility;
(b) The Capital Reinvestment Fund is hereby created within the Lottery Fund. The surcharge amount attributable to the historic resort hotel a licensed gaming facility shall be retained by the commission and deposited into a separate capital reinvestment account for the historic resort hotel each contributing licensed gaming facility. For each dollar expended by the historic resort hotel a licensed gaming facility for capital improvements at the historic resort hotel licensed gaming facility, of any amenity associated with the historic resort hotel’s or rural resort community's destination resort facility operations, or at adjacent facilities owned by the historic resort hotel or rural resort community having a useful life of seven or more years and placed in service after April 1, 2009, the a licensed gaming facility shall receive $1 in recoupment from its Capital Reinvestment Fund account: If a historic resort hotel’s or rural resort community's unrecouped capital improvements exceed its Capital Reinvestment Fund account at the end of any fiscal year, the excess improvements may be carried forward to seven subsequent fiscal years.
(c) Any moneys remaining in the historic resort hotel’s Capital Reinvestment Fund account at the end of any fiscal year shall be deposited in the Historic Resort Hotel Fund if the gaming facility is located in a historic resort hotel or in the Rural Resort Community Fund if the gaming facility is located in a rural resort community.
All shipments of gambling devices, including video lottery machines, to the a licensed gaming facility in this state, the registering, recording and labeling of which have been completed by the manufacturer or dealer thereof in accordance with Chapter 1194, 64 Stat. 1134, 15 U.S.C. §1171 to §1178, are legal shipments of gambling devices into the State of West Virginia.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to authorize a rural resort community as limited gaming facility. The bill also repeals §29-25-7 relating to local options.
§29-25-22b and §29-25-22c are new; therefore, they have been completely underscored.