4 • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Fall 2022 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Welcome to the Legislative Issue. This edition of Restaurant & Lodging Matters is dedicated to legislative affairs, a cornerstone of PRLA’s activities. In this issue, we’ll reflect on the last two-year session in Harrisburg and beyond. The Legislative Champions feature on page 10 highlights those elected officials who have supported our industry during their tenure but won’t be returning to Harrisburg next session. Additionally, we’ve broken down how your contributions to our Policial Action Committee (PAC) have been dispersed in support of PRLA’s advocacy priorities. Of note, 91 percent of the candidates supported by the PRLA PAC will be state lawmakers in 2023. The PRLA PAC is a critically important tool to achieve legislative success and directly linked to how much we can do. PAC contributions allow us to support candidates who take policy positions which support our industry. Our government affairs team will tell you good public policy starts with good elected officials. Help us support these individuals so we may grow our voice and influence, by contributing to PRLA’s PAC in 2023. One-time or recurring contributions of any size can be made online or by contacting the PRLA Office. The new, 2-year legislative session began January 3 in Harrisburg. There are many fresh faces in the halls of the Capitol, with nearly 50 new Senators and Representatives elected in November. We also have a new face in the Governor’s office in Josh Shapiro, whose inauguration is on January 17. All this change presents PRLA with an exciting opportunity to build new relationships and nurture existing ones. We will continue our popular legislative roundtables to foster direct relationships between our members and their elected officials. A typical legislative session sees some 3,000 to 4,000 new pieces of legislation introduced. Though likely less than 400 will become law, those that do could either support the growth of our industry or make it more difficult for businesses and the people they employ. The PRLA Policy Committee will meet at the end of January to set our policy objectives and priorities for the next legislative cycle. We will share the results of that discussion in the Daily Update. While our legislative system may seem foreign or distant, you can personally engage through PRLA and help ensure that we are appropriately influential in the process. • Joe Massaro PRLA PRESIDENT & CEO Industry Update “We’re also developing new events to give members opportunities to engage with their senators and representatives.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTY1NDIzOQ==