(a) The Department may, subject to appropriation, provide grants from the Tourism Promotion Fund for the administrative costs of not-for-profit regional tourism development organizations that assist the Department in developing tourism throughout a multi-county geographical area designated by the Department. Regional tourism development organizations receiving funds under this Section may be required by the Department to submit to audits of contracts awarded by the Department to determine whether the regional tourism development organization has performed all contractual obligations under those contracts.
     Every employee of a regional tourism development organization receiving funds under this Section shall disclose to the organization’s governing board and to the Department any economic interest that employee may have in any entity with which the regional tourism development organization has contracted or to which the regional tourism development organization has granted funds.
     (b) The Department, from moneys appropriated from the Tourism Promotion Fund, shall first provide funding of $5,000,000 annually to a governmental entity with at least 2,000,000 square feet of exhibition space that has as part of its duties the promotion of cultural, scientific and trade exhibits and events within a county with a population of more than 3,000,000, to be used for any of the governmental entity’s general corporate purposes.