ABL DISPATCH — THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS FROM WASHINGTON BY JOHN BODNOVICH, ABL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Over the last few months, a fair amount has transpired in Washington, D.C., and American Beverage Licensees (ABL) has been actively engaged in many issues.
COVID-19 Relief Efforts The first half of 2022 in Washington saw what some of the last, best attempts may be to secure federal relief for bars and taverns impacted by COVID-19. Unfortunately, due to macro political issues (inflation, midterm primaries, Biden administration priorities, etc.), efforts to advance legislation to help small hospitality businesses stalled in the Senate. There may still be another bite at the apple after the elections in a lame-duck session, but the writing on the wall is Congress is moving on from COVID-19 relief bills despite the challenges that many businesses still face.
Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) Replenishment Act The first week of April, ABL activated grassroots to secure additional relief for businesses struggling to recover from the pandemic by supporting H.R. 3807, which would provide an additional $42 billion in funding for the RRF. The bill passed the House and eyes turned to the Senate to see if 60 Senators would vote to support S.4008, which would have replenished the RRF with $40 billion — believed to have been enough to provide grants to all pending applications. ABL once again activated grassroots, targeting senators who were potential yes votes. ABL sent letters to Senate offices pointing out,“With RRF grants, Main Street bars and taverns will be able to hire back employees and afford basic goods that they need to run food and drink establishments. They will also be able to pay back loans and climb out from under debt that many took on during the pandemic to keep their businesses afloat.” ABL also worked with a coalition of more than 30 businesses and trade associations to argue that “nearly 200,000 small businesses have been left behind, and now four out of five of these restaurants and bars are in danger of closing permanently, threatening all of the livelihoods they support.”
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Despite these efforts, and more than a year’s worth of advocacy and campaigning, a vote to advance a bill to replenish the RRF failed in the Senate, 52-43. Every Democratic senator present voted in favor of moving the bill forward, as did a handful of Republicans. In speaking with those close to the issue, the current inflationary environment, coupled with a lack of specific spending offsets, were identified as factors in the final vote tally. It is frustrating for ABL members who applied for RRF grants and were denied, only to see their competitors down the street receive grants, with little rhyme or reason as to why one business was aided and another left out. ABL repeatedly made this point, but to no avail.
Legislative Agenda for the Second Half of 2022 As we move closer to the August congressional recess and midterm elections, ABL’s legislative and policy agenda for the remainder of the year and the 117th Congress reflects a pro-small-business posture; working with members who may be leaders in the 118th congressional majority; and supporting bills and initiatives that may not pass this year, but will likely be reintroduced and hold better prospects of passage in 2023.
Helping ABL Members Address Workforce Issues ABL is supporting the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement (EWEA) Act. Introduced in the House by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), the act would “amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for an H–2C nonimmigrant classification” to address hospitality industry staffing challenges by creating a program of nonimmigrant, three-year visas for workers. Workforce issues — namely finding and keeping workers at bars and taverns for all positions — is the number one business operations issue for ABL members. While there is no Democratic lead cosponsor at the moment, ABL is working with other supportive groups to secure one. The association is also working on a target list of cosponsors for meetings to build support for the bill. While ABL’s expectations are measured and there is no immediate path forward for the bill at this time, socializing the issue and educating on the bill will be helpful if and when it is introduced in the next Congress. www.tlw.org
