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Bill would end two JLARC reporting duties; sponsors call it cost-saving, hospitality group urges oversight caution
Summary
House Bill 2,120 would remove JLARC's biannual lodging-tax report and a periodic review of the Training Benefits Program; sponsors said it frees staff for higher-priority work while hospitality and transparency advocates urged retaining oversight of lodging-tax uses.
Connor Schiff, counsel to the committee and JLARC staff, told members that House Bill 2,120 eliminates two statutory reporting obligations for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee: (1) a biannual report on municipal lodging-tax use, and (2) a periodic evaluation and public-hearing requirement for the Training Benefits Program that provides UI benefits to trainees. Schiff said the change would cut redundant work and free JLARC staff for other performance audits.
Representative Gael Pollet, chair of JLARC, described the bill as a cost-saving measure intended to free staff time for more meaningful performance audits. Pollet said the lodging-tax report is time-consuming to compile and that the training-benefits review has historically produced the same results and is no longer a useful statutory requirement.
Testimony from the Washington Hospitality Association (Jeff Gunn) acknowledged the desire to improve efficiency but warned that the lodging-tax report has provided a level of transparency and oversight that helps ensure local lodging taxes are spent on tourism-related activities that benefit small businesses. Gunn said the industry is concerned that removing the reporting requirement may weaken accountability for local jurisdictions that use lodging taxes for non-tourism infrastructure.
No committee vote was taken; staff indicated a fiscal note is expected. Committee members asked about alternative ways to preserve accountability if the JLARC report is removed.
