Advocacy Update

Active Member Engagement Helps Drive Advocacy Work

ORLA's government affairs team has been busy on the front lines promoting and protecting the foodservice and lodging industries of Oregon during the 2021 Legislative Session. At the same time, ORLA’s volunteer leadership groups and government affairs committee continue to be actively engaged in state and local issues, calling on lawmakers to address issues facing our industry.

During a Difficult 2020, ORLA’s Advocacy Efforts Result in Wins

It would be hard to classify anything in 2020 as a “win,” and yet, despite a global pandemic, the shutdown of our restaurants and restrictions on our lodging properties, and unbelievable natural disasters, Oregon’s hospitality industry did manage to succeed in securing some important victories.

A more complete review of these accomplishments is included in our “Year in Review” segment of the magazine, so here is just a few of the highlights.

Federal Level - The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law by President Biden containing $28.6 billion in direct aid to restaurants. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund reflects a year-long effort to help restaurants in need. The RESTAURANTS Act, providing $120B in additional relief to restaurants, is still being discussed for future passage.

State Level - ORLA led the statewide effort to secure over $55M in grants for small businesses with an emphasis on Oregon hospitality. Those grants helped hundreds of businesses stay open and keep people employed.

We also worked early on to remove contact tracing requirements from state mandates after restaurants were shut down by Executive Order. Additionally, when the first shutdown occurred with less than 24 hours’ notice, ORLA lobbied the Governor’s office to allow for more time before future shutdown might occur. Future closures allowed for at least 72 hours.

Finally, the constant uncertainty of being able to open for indoor dining or not based on County Risk Levels was beyond frustrating for many operators. ORLA’s advocacy for more consistency led to the Governor declaring that counties moving from “High Risk” to “Extreme Risk” would have an additional two weeks to bring their metrics in line before having to move.

ORLA Government Affairs Committee

Following a successful December meeting to review the 2021 Legislative Agenda for ORLA, the Government Affairs (GA) Committee met again the first week of February to review the first set of bills dropped for the legislative session. Co-Chairs Nick Pearson (Jupiter and Jupiter Next hotels) and TJ Birkel (Darden Restaurants) led the committee through a discussion of the bills up for deliberation this year.

ORLA is currently tracking over 120 bills with almost 4,000 bills total being introduced in this session. A full list of the bills we are supporting, opposing, monitoring or following can be found on our website at OregonRLA.org under the Advocacy tab.

Because of the virtual nature of this session, it has become easier for members from across the state to sign up to testify on bills and ORLA still needs participation from our members to help ensure we can pass or kill the bills we need to take action on this session.

To keep you updated, we’re trying something new this year. ORLA’s GA Committee is meeting weekly on Friday mornings for a 30-minute video call to review bills we are tracking that had a hearing the previous week and the outcome, if any, of those hearings as well as give a preview of the upcoming week’s hearings. We are also identifying those hearings where we need testimony–both written and oral–from members to help us in our advocacy efforts.

If you are interested in being a member of the GA Committee, please email Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs at Astley@oregonrla.org.

Portland Kitchen Cabinet

After an incredibly difficult and challenging year for Oregon’s hospitality industry, and at the time of this writing, signs are pointing to more counties re-opening for indoor dining, vaccinations being offered to hospitality workers among others deemed “essential,” and optimism among many about customers returning to our restaurants.

ORLA’s Portland Kitchen Cabinet (PKC), a partnership with the National Restaurant Association, has been quite active in the last 12 months. We’ve been working with elected officials on important issues and keeping the lines of communication open between operators and those who make the decisions on issues ranging from licensing fees to public safety to financial relief.

Tom Perrick, ORLA’s new Government Affairs Coordinator and PKC liaison, will be helping our members reach out to newly installed elected officials to continue the conversations and help them understand the perspective of our industry. Look for outreach from Tom to join us at these meetings to share your story and your perspective.

Tom will also be working with our PKC Steering Committee on several events this year including our philanthropic efforts to give back to the community.

If you’re interested in being involved in these efforts as part of the PKC, please reach out to Tom at TPerrick@OregonRLA.org. Your voice is needed at the table and remember, you don’t have to be a member of ORLA or the National Restaurant Association to participate.

Portland Lodging Alliance

The Portland Lodging Alliance actively engaged elected officials in 2020 but also took a more “hands-on” approach to some of the issues facing the city, particularly in the downtown core.

In partnership with SOLVE, members took part in several clean-up events in downtown, removing thousands of pounds of garbage and helping to make city streets safer and cleaner. Helping visitors feel better about their experience is just one step lodging operators have taken to bring back guests and their families.

Members participated in meetings with Senator Jeff Merkley, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and several other elected officials and their staff to communicate not only the concerns they have and are hearing from visitors, but also to offer solutions and assistance to help resolve the issues facing the city.

National Restaurant Association’s Public Affairs Conference

Registration for the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) 2021 Public Affairs Conference is open and ORLA encourages restaurants to consider engaging in this unique event. The conference will be completely virtual this year and we are hoping for record participation from Oregon’s restaurant community. The following are some key details for your information.

Registration: Go to Conference.RestaurantsAct.com. The cost for members will be $50 and $75 for non-members. Given this significantly reduced price, there will not be any comp codes offered as in the past. Tom can be reached at TPerrick@oregonrla.org.  GREG ASTLEY,

OREGON RESTAURANT & LODGING ASSOCIATION

NRA will begin programming late morning on the east coast to accommodate those of us on the west coast and the conference will conclude with a virtual social event. We expect the same caliber of programming and speakers typically seen at this conference.

Virtual Hill Meetings: In addition to the conference itself, ORLA plans to schedule virtual Hill Meetings on April 21st and 22nd. Our goal is to schedule meetings with all seven of our Congressional Members:

• Senator Jeff Merkley • Senator Ron Wyden • Congressman Cliff Bentz • Congressman Earl Blumenauer • Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici • Congressman Peter DeFazio • Congressman Kurt Schrader

If you are interested in attending these virtual meetings, please contact me at Astley@OregonRLA.org and once we have a schedule, we will send you the information to log in and attend.

Welcome to ORLA’s New Government Affairs Coordinator

ORLA is pleased to introduce Tom Perrick, ORLA's new Government Affairs Coordinator and Portland Kitchen Cabinet Liaison. Tom comes to us with extensive experience in State and Local Government Affairs, Association Management, Client Development and Community and Civic Engagement and we are extremely happy to have him on the team here at ORLA.

Tom will be focusing on engaging and growing our Portland Kitchen Cabinet program as well as working on other issues related to the Portland Metro area. He’ll be coordinating regular appointments with elected officials from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and Metro as well as state legislators from the Portland area and federal elected officials. In addition, Tom will be working with the Portland Kitchen Cabinet on at least one philanthropic effort this year.

Conference.RestaurantsAct.com

FAST AND EASY TRAINING TO WORK IN OREGON RESTAURANTS

• Available in English or Spanish • Test on a computer or mobile device • Stop and start anytime • Pay when you pass • Print or save your card

OregonFoodHandler.com

HELPING THOSE WITH GAMBLING ISSUES

Playing for Fun

Working in Oregon’s hospitality industry, you’re certainly familiar with the sight of folks sitting at terminals playing Video Lottery games. For most players, it’s a fun way to pass some time, maybe while waiting for a table or enjoying a drink. Most players find the games enjoyable, as they are intended to be.

But occasionally, you might see some players who seem agitated, or even angry or regretful. You may have wondered what, if anything, you might say to help these customers who continue to play even after the games have clearly stopped being fun.

When the Fun Stops

There is some good news for these players. Here in Oregon, help is available for people who have issues with gambling. Oregon Problem Gambling Resource (OPGR) is available to anyone who has a gambling issue, either their own or a loved one’s. One phone call can connect the player with a counselor specifically trained in gambling addiction issues. Players are offered effective treatment, often right from home. Best of all, it’s free.

OPGR Can Help

No one expects you to become an expert in gambling addiction. You don’t need to take on diagnosing a customer’s issue or advising them on their options. Nor should you. But you can feel confident in offering players who seem to be struggling the information they need to connect to these services. OPGR. That’s what we’re here for.