Section 18 Local tourism grant program
Section 18. The authority shall establish and implement for the turnpike a local tourism grant program for the benefit of cities and towns located within the turnpike corridor. Such grant program shall be funded, subject to the rights of the holders of notes or bonds of the authority issued for the turnpike, from turnpike revenues, on an annual basis in an amount of not less than $500,000 nor more than $1,000,000; provided, however, that notwithstanding any requirements of this section, for each of the calendar years nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, nineteen hundred and ninety-eight and nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, a sum of not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and not more than three hundred thousand dollars allocable to the tourism grant program shall be directed annually to the Commonwealth Visitor Information Services Travel Alliance established by section nineteen of chapter one hundred and two of the acts of nineteen hundred and ninety-five or to such cities, towns or other public entities that said Travel Alliance may recommend to the authority. Said grant program shall be administered in accordance with procedures promulgated under chapter thirty A.
The authority shall also establish and implement for the metropolitan highway system a local tourism grant program for the benefit of cities and towns through which the metropolitan highway system runs and the municipalities contiguous to such cities and towns. Said grant program shall be funded, subject to the rights of the holders of notes or bonds of the authority issued for the metropolitan highway system, from metropolitan highway system revenues, on an annual basis in an amount not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Such grant program shall be administered in accordance with procedures promulgated under said chapter thirty A.