Sec. 1a.

(1) The legislature finds all of the following:

(a) Tourism is a major source of employment, income, and tax revenues in this state, and the expansion of the tourism industry is vital to the growth of the state's economy.

(b) The tourism industry is important to this state, not only because of the number of people it serves and the vast human, financial, and physical resources it employs, but because of the benefits tourism and related activities confer on individuals and on society as a whole.

(c) State oversight and resources are needed to implement a coordinated and effective marketing program consistent with the master plan developed by this state to promote travel to, and within, this state under the Michigan tourism policy act, 1945 PA 106, MCL 2.101 to 2.103a, and to optimize the considerable investment of time, energy, capital, and resources being made by the tourism industry.

(d) This state can best undertake effective tourism marketing through the coordinated efforts of existing state government agencies in tourism promotion and private convention and tourism promotional bureaus who are better able than state agencies to market and promote their unique assessment districts, which will maximize the economic and employment benefits of the tourism industry to this state and its citizens.

(e) The coordinated efforts within this act to market and promote tourism represent a broader regulator scheme that does not impinge on an individual's First Amendment rights.

(2) Nothing in this act shall be construed to do 1 or more of the following:

(a) Restrain an owner or participant from communicating its own message or marketing plan.

(b) Require any owner or participant to adopt any actual or symbolic speech.

(c) Endorse or finance any political speech or ideological view.

History: Add. 2018, Act 465, Eff. Mar. 29, 2019