2011 ORLA Legislative Report
A Good Session For The Hospitality Industry
For the first time ever in the history of the Oregon House of Representatives, there were Co-Speakers leading the Chamber. A few years back, however, the Oregon Senate had a party affiliation split of 15-15. So what do the two legislative sessions have in common? The answer is that the hospitality industry fared well in both legislative sessions.
The biggest benefits this session were increased tourism promotions and no tax increases. There was also a change in the Oregon tax code allowing businesses to accelerate the depreciation schedule if they purchase new equipment. These are all actions that will hopefully help our industry grow and rebuild business.
One thing for sure about the 2011 Legislative Session was that the close numbers of Democrats and Republicans created a more open discussion, as compared to last session where Democrats had super majorities in both chambers.
Another positive product of the session was that the business community worked together better than they have in recent years, forming a group called the “Oregon Committee.” The Oregon Committee, composed of trade groups and Oregon employers, met every Wednesday to focus on job creation and economic development proposals. The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association was a very active partner in this process to organize the business community.
The following pages illustrate the diverse issues that came up during the legislative session. There are about 3,000 bill proposals introduced each session, and ORLA usually tracks over 400 of them that have a direct impact on our industry.
As you look at the list of bills – and study what bills passed and failed – I think you will agree this was a good session for the hospitality industry. While there certainly are areas that need to be addressed and improved, ORLA made some strong progress to try and rebuild the economy and fend off threats to business in Oregon.
I know the efforts to benefit our members by ORLA's GA Team of CEO Steve McCoid, Public Affairs Director Kara Thallon, Government Affairs Coordinator Glenda Hamstreet, Political Coordinator Christine Drazan and Session Intern Breanne Tusinski are not always noticed by everyone, but I’d like to recognize their work. We also had ORLA members take time away from their business to come to Salem and testify on behalf of the industry. This all plays into the success of the session. So thank you to all of you that helped make the 2011 session a tremendous improvement over last session, and hopefully an improvement in the economic future of our state as well! | Bill Perry
2011 ORLA Legislative Report
During the 2011 Oregon Legislative Session, ORLA Government Affairs team monitored more than 400 different bills of interest concerning our industry and our members throughout the six month-long session in Salem. Click the topic link below to view the list of bills tracked by ORLA.
You can download a printable pdf of the entire 2011 Legislative Report. For questions on this or other government affairs activities, contact Glenda Hamstreet at 800.462.0619 for more information.