IHLA Government Affairs
OVERVIEW:
By organizing member involvement at the local level, participating in the political campaigns of our friends in the General Assembly and Congress, and communicating directly with both government agencies and the legislature, we make sure that the industry's voice is heard in Indianapolis and Washington. Our lobbying efforts protect and promote your interest when new laws are passed. We also maintain an ongoing liaison with regulatory agencies affecting our industry.
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CURRENT STATE ISSUES:
Immigration Matters: SB 590 Illegal Immigration Matters
This law would require state and local government to enforce federal immigration law. It would require law enforcement officers to verify the citizenship or immigration status of individuals, permitting detainment for a reasonable amount of time to verify statue. It would allow a law enforcement officer to arrest a person if the officer has probable cause to believe the person is an alien who meets certain criteria.
It requires that only English be used, with certain exceptions, in public meetings, public documents, by officers and employees of state or political subdivisions in performing their duties, and providing information communicated electronically by the state or a political subdivision.
It would punish businesses not using the e-verify system by disallowing certain state income tax credits and deductions for individuals who are prohibited from being hired as employees. It would require that all businesses with government contracts use e-verify. The bill creates penalty provisions for businesses or individuals who would transport aliens for commercial gain (farmers transporting migrant workers to their fields), harbor aliens, knowingly or intentionally accept false identification or knowingly make a false statement on a affidavit request for public benefits.
It requites the Superintendent of the Indiana State Police (ISP), to the extent possible, to negotiate the terms of a memorandum of agreement with the federal government so that state police employees can be trained to enforce federal immigration and customs laws.
It seeks to reduce public benefits paid to illegal aliens.
It Requires the Department of Correction (DOC) to verify the citizenship or immigration status of offenders.
It prohibits a law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer from requesting verification of the citizenship or immigration status from an individual from federal immigration authorities if the individual is reporting a crime or is a witness or a victim of a crime.
A DECLARATION OF 5 PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE INDIANA’S IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION
FEDERAL SOLUTIONS: Immigration is a federal policy issue between the U.S. government and other countries—not Indiana and other countries. We urge Indiana’s Congressional delegation, and others, to lead efforts to strengthen and reform federal laws. We recognize that border security is a critical element of national security, and further urge our Congressional representatives to work to protect the borders as part of a comprehensive immigration policy.
LAW ENFORCEMENT: We respect the rule of law and support law enforcement’s professional judgment and discretion. Local law enforcement resources should focus on criminal activities, not civil violations of federal code.
FAMILIES: Strong families are the foundation of successful communities. We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate families. We champion policies that support families and improve the health, education and well-being of all Indiana children.
ECONOMY: Indiana is best served by an economy that maximizes individual freedom and opportunity. We acknowledge the economic role immigrants play as workers and taxpayers. Indiana’s immigration policies must reaffirm our global reputation as a welcoming and business-friendly state.
A FREE SOCIETY: Immigrants are integrated into communities across Indiana. We must adopt a humane approach to this reality, reflecting our unique culture, history and spirit of inclusion. The way we treat immigrants will say more about us as a free society and less about our immigrant neighbors. Indiana should always be a place that welcomes people of goodwill.
What you can do:
Talking Points:
The Indiana hospitality industry, whose members strive to welcome guests to Indiana are opposed to the posting of a "not welcome" sign on Indiana's front door.
There is tangible evidence from Arizona that an immigration bill with provisions to infringe upon the freedoms of all individuals who appear to be foreign would significantly hurt our convention business and the Indiana economy.
This proposed law would affect our ability to fill the many entry level positions available in our industry. The hospitality industry is very labor intensive. If both legal and illegal immigrants flee Indiana, as they did in Arizona as a result of a similar law, it would be difficult to maintain our high standards of quality.
States cannot create a patchwork of confusing and different laws for regarding immigration. Most of our corporations operate in many different states. The task of keeping up with different immigration laws regarding employment in every state would be daunting. It makes no sense to have 50 different immigration polices. Immigration policy must be determined at the national level.
Immigrants pay income, sales, excise and property taxes, along with an estimated $7 billion in Medicate and Social Security taxes, from which they will never gain any benefit if they are undocumented. They are net contributors to our tax system.
Immigrants have created and made possible thousands of new businesses that employ both immigrants and native Hoosiers.
Resources:
Indiana Economic Recovery Threatened by Anti-Immigrant Legislation
Arizona Tourism Report
John Livengood: Letter to the Editor
Your Association has accomplished quite a bit over the years at the legislature to benefit the Indiana hospitality industry. Here are some highlights from the past decade:
Repeal of the Complimentary Room Tax
We successfully lobbied for the repeal of the complimentary room tax, an onerous tax that was passed as an effort by the state to capture tax revenue from casino hotels that typically give comp rooms to VIP customers.
Minimum Wage
We worked to defeat a minimum wage rate higher than federal law. Because of our efforts Indiana's minimum wage law is the same as the federal law and now includes a tip credit.
Living Wage
We successfully worked to defeat a living wage proposal that would have mandated a starting wage of $10 or $12 per hour, depending upon benefits. The proposal included annual increases to a minimum of $15 and $17 dollars per hour.
Taxes
We initiated legislation that exempted items such as paper napkins, placemats and hotel room amenities from Indiana's sales tax.
Innkeepers Tax
We led the fight to amend the Uniform Innkeepers Law to limit the use of lodging taxes for promotion of conventions, visitors and tourism. Prior to this change it was permissible to use hotel taxes to fund economic and industrial development. The 1997 changes also require that local boards that make funding decisions must have a majority who are engaged in a convention, visitor or tourism business or be involved in promoting conventions, visitors or tourism. At least two members must be from the lodging industry.
Teen Labor
We led the fight for later working hours for teen employees with maintenance of academic achievement and parental permission. We also negotiated a subsequent change that made state and federal law the same for 14 and 15-year-old employees. Our most recent victory was the simplification of the teen break law.
Tourism
As part of the Promote Indiana Coalition we led the successful legislative effort to create the Indiana Tourism Council and increased state promotional funding by $1,000,000 per year. Recent efforts have led to the creation of a stand alone Office of Tourism Development.
Music Licensing Reform
We successfully lobbied for a bill to protect restaurants, hotels, taverns and other small businesses from overzealous representatives of music licensing societies.
Food Handling
We were pro-active in seeking uniform statewide requirements that meet national standards in food safety.
Alcohol Beverages
We initiated the removal of the rule mandating a 72" solid wall separating a bar area from a dining area, and the change that allowed 18, 19 and 20 year old servers to take drink orders. We were successful in lobbying for 19 and 20-year-old servers to serve alcohol in the dining areas of restaurants. We also secured the ability of limited service lodging properties with 25 rooms or more to apply for an alcohol beverage permit and legislation that allows hotels to set different prices for alcoholic beverages in different restaurants in the same hotel complex. We were successful in securing the expansion of Sunday alcohol sales for hotels and restaurants; now 10 a.m.
Although this is an abbreviated list of achievements, we have also defeated many measures that would negatively impact our industry including attempts to divert revenues from innkeeper's taxes away from tourism promotion, a proposed payroll tax, business franchise tax, business supplemental tax and a potential 277% increase in the alcohol tax. |
