Dear WH&LA Members,
You may have seen that the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is making a strong push for Congress to pass a relief bill this week before they recess until the election. To illustrate the urgency of the need, they put together a group of eleven national and international associations called the COVID RELIEF NOW Coalition, who is calling for “No Recess Without Relief”.
The Coalition is imploring Congress to not leave town for the 2020 elections without passing additional COVID economic relief – stating millions of jobs and survival of small businesses as well as vital government services are on the line.
The House is currently on standby as Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary Steve Mnuchin are negotiating a potential relief bill, and there could be a vote as early as today if the sides are able to come to terms. The hotel industry could lose over 3.7 million jobs if nothing is done. Congress can prevent this by working together for a solution which includes:
- The extension of the Paycheck Protection Program
- The creation of hotel industry relief opportunities utilizing Federal Reserve and Treasury authority, including limited liability language for hotels and other places of public, and
- The inclusion of tax provisions to assist severely injured businesses and their employees.
During this critical week for COVID relief legislation, it's imperative that the voices of Wisconsin lodging property owners and operators are heard by our elected officials. Write, call, and tweet your elected officials and tell them that the hotel industry’s needs must be included in any final bill.
Kind regards,
Bill Elliott, CAE
President & CEO
