Change policies with your presence.
Politics, like business, is about relationships. The more people you know, and the better you know them, the easier it is to get things done. That’s why AAHOA’s Spring National Advocacy Conference (SNAC) is so important to our industry and our members.
SNAC is an opportunity to meet and establish relationships with your elected officials and put a human face on the issues that affect the people they represent in Congress. For many representatives and their staffs, issues such as ADA drive-by lawsuits or tax code sections like 1031 are abstract. Sharing your personal story about how they impact you, your business and your employees goes a long way toward framing the real life implications of government policies for the people who make it.
One of the key reasons that 1031s were preserved in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is because AAHOA members showed up and educated their members of Congress about why this section of the tax code is so important to the continued growth of our industry and the overall strength of the economy. Some representatives were ready to sacrifice this vital growth vehicle to pay for other parts of the tax bill, but AAHOA members convinced them what a colossal blunder that would be.
This spring, H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017, is slated for consideration in the House, and, if we are successful, it will be passed and sent to the Senate. Your participation in SNAC will be crucial to educating your senators and their staffs about why we need to stop ADA drive-by lawsuits.
SNAC will be held May 8-9. You will have the opportunity to meet with your elected officials and engage in the public policy process. Your intimate knowledge of the hotel and hospitality industry is an excellent resource that can inform legislators on a variety of issues affecting our industry. To register, please visit https://2018snac.streampoint.com/. ■
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