We are halfway through this year’s short legislative session. Lawmakers are busy creating new laws, some that help our industry and some that hurt it.
Our top issues affect everybody in this industry. In the world of politics, we have a secret sauce for how we’re going to win this thing. It’s you.
We have one of the largest industries that is made up of thousands of businesses and we’re at our most effective when all 15,000 of us are working together, pointing in one direction and sending a clear message.
Here are some of the bills we are working on this legislative session.
Lawmakers in the House and the Senate introduced a package of bills (HB 2094/SB 5987 and HB 2095/SB 5988) related to gift cards that would have significantly impacted Washington state businesses. The first two bills, HB 2094 and SB 5987 did not make it out of their committees and are now dead. The second two did not make it out of their fiscal committees. Though there hasn’t been any movement, these bills are still alive, and the GA team will monitor and engage on these bills as needed for the remainder of the session.
We were able to defeat these bills thanks to our members who participated in Hill Climb last week. During their one-on-one meetings with lawmakers, members offered education on the effects the bills would have on them as business owners. Thank you to all who participated.
The House version of the blood alcohol content bill (HB 2196) did not receive the necessary support to advance from committee. In the Senate (SB 5002), the bill was passed out of the Rules Committee and is on the floor calendar, eligible for a full vote of the Senate at any
time.
The team is fighting hard to get pandemic relief funds reauthorized for lodging properties that experienced losses due to the governor’s eviction moratorium.
HB 1589, would ban natural gas for new construction buildings eliminating our industry’s ability to expand into new communities with natural gas as a tool to do our jobs. The bill has been passed by the House and now the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee is considering it. The committee has introduced an amendment that removes the natural gas ban on new hookups and instead changes a utility company’s obligation to serve natural gas to its customers – which is even more concerning than the original ban.
If you would like to let your lawmaker know how these bills effect you and your business, visit our Action Center.
The Washington Hospitality Association led the fight on HB 2349 and SB 6241, which would have allowed a 10-day right-to-cure before a lawsuit could be filed for violations of the pay transparency law passed in 2021. Unfortunately, neither of these bills were allowed a hearing by either house.
To get involved this year, you can either reach out to your Territory Manager or email our Grassroots Coordinator Dale Porter at dalep@wahospitality.org.
Also, there is still a month left of this legislative session, so keep an eye out for more Action Alerts from your Government Affairs team.
As always, it’s an honor to serve you,
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