May 28 Key Issues Update
May 28, 2020
Dear WH&LA Lodging Member:

Many of you are in the process of re-opening or re-activating your lodging properties, and we know your time is valuable. We only have a number of new updates we feel will be of interest to many of you today.

Safe Stay Protocol Updates
The national lodging industry protocols developed by AH&LA that have been endorsed by the WH&LA and all 50 state lodging associations along with numerous leading hospitality companies, are updated on a continual basis to reflect input from such documents as draft guidelines being developed by the CDC for the lodging industry and more. Recent additions include the checking of ventilation and water systems for closed properties that are re-opening, a 15-minute ventilation wait following guests checking out before housekeeping associates enter the room to clean, and more. Please bookmark the  Safe Stay page to periodically check for additions to this widely circulated guidance.

State UI Program Challenges
Today Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos submitted a  letter   to Governor Tony Evers demanding that provisions of Wisconsin Act 185, signed into law on April 15 be implemented immediately by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) relating to the following:
  • An unacceptable backlog of over 700,000 Unemployment Insurance benefit payments owed to employees laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Not following the new requirement that employer’s UI accounts would not be charged for UI claims specifically related to the COVID-19 emergency. Currently, DWD has not submitted rules or moved forward with instead charging these claims instead to the UI balancing account so that employers would not face extreme increases in their UI account rates in the future.

State DHS Posts Their Guidance on When Pools Should Open
This afternoon WH&LA just learned that the Department of Health Services (DHS) posted on their website new Guidelines for pool operators to address in determining when pools should re-open, explaining that the DATCP and WEDC Guidances cover How to open, but DHS guidances address When to open. To view their guidance go to   this page   on their website then select “Public Pools, Splash Pads, and Waterparks” category in the shaded box. 
Here are two key components:
At this time, the Department of Health Services (DHS) recommends that all public pools, splash pads, and water parks remain closed due to the spread of COVID-19.  Until we meet the benchmarks e stablished in the roadmap to reopen Wisconsin, it is not safe to bring together groups of individuals that are not part of a single household or living unit into an environment where sustained and close contact could occur. You can track the state’s progress on these benchmarks on the  DHS COVID-19 Response website . This is a rapidly evolving situation, but it is unlikely that this recommendation would be changed unless significant progress in meeting gating criteria are met….
All decisions about implementing considerations for operations should be made locally, in collaboration with local or tribal health officials. Operators of public aquatic venues can consult with local officials to determine if and how to implement these considerations while adjusting them to meet the unique needs and circumstances of the local community. Their implementation should also be informed by what is feasible, practical, and acceptable.

Protection  Against Frivolous COVID-19 Lawsuits
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) has created a page making it easy for lodging properties to join many other businesses in asking state legislators to protect businesses in our state from frivolous lawsuits already being pursued by trial lawyers. One of their key asks in state legislation is that businesses that work to follow government guidelines (such as from DATCP or WEDC, shared in previous  Capitol Insiders ) should be protected against COVID-19 exposure claims. To use their template letter (customizing as you wish) click here

Department of Tourism Budget Cuts
On April 28 the state Department of Administration announced the implementation of a 5% budget reduction of state operations funded primarily by taxpayers, with limited exceptions. It was just released what cuts would be made by department. For the Department of Tourism, the amount targeted for their reduction is $714,000, broken out as follows:
  • $161,600 in General program operations
  • $104,000 in Tourism marketing (from GPR-general funds)
  • $448,400 in Tourism Marketing (from Gaming revenue)

Stay well,

Trisha
Trisha A. Pugal, CAE
Interim CEO
Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association
262-782-2851