Legislative & Regulatory Issues

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OTC Tax Exemption Federal Bill – Action Needed!

June 25, 2010 in Legislative & Regulatory Issues, Legislative Advisory | No comments

There is a possible federal bill that would remove the obligation for Online Travel Companies (OTCs) to collect or pay taxes on the sales of sleeping rooms. Pressure from the OTCs is mounting to remove their liability in lawsuits being filed by cities and CVBs to require the OTCs to pay tax on the amount they pay to lodging properties and on the amount they charge the consumer for the sale of the room/unit.

There may be a vote today in the Senate on a bill that will include this draft, and we need your help in contacting our two Senators to ask them to sign on to a letter from one of their counterparts, which is available here.

Ask Senator Kohl and Senator Feingold to contact Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to sign on to the letter, to allow for more complete review of what special tax exemption the OTCs are trying to authorize and what impact this will have on tax-paying lodging properties.

Please take a moment to help!

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Legislative Tracker Updated with End-of-Session Results

April 26, 2010 in Legislative & Regulatory Issues | No comments

Now that the Legislative Session has ended, all the bills WIA has been carefully tracking have either passed or failed. Check out the WIA Legislative Tracker, complete with end-of-session updates and a short synopsis of each bill to see what may affect your property.

Got questions? Contact the WIA office at 262/782-2851.

WIA Member lodging properties must use their user ID and password to view the info in the link above. Forgot your password? E-mail Michelle in the WIA office.

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Legislative Brief – This Week at the Capitol

April 19, 2010 in Legislative & Regulatory Issues, Legislative Advisory | No comments

This week is the last week of regular session for both the state Senate and state Assembly for the two-year legislative session, meaning the 698 Senate bills and 961 Assembly bills introduced to date must have had public hearings by their assigned committees and have passed both houses by adjournment this Thursday in order to survive and be sent to the Governor to sign into law…

There are so many issues that WIA is tracking and working on for your behalf (over 90 issues and over 150 bills), but the following are a few still in the works that you may find of interest…(continue reading)

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New VGBA seminar in Wisconsin Dells

April 9, 2009 in Legislative & Regulatory Issues, WI Lodging Industry Educational Opportunities, Wisconsin Lodging Industry Events | No comments

pool-image

The WIA is once again offering a free educational session on the Virginia Graeme Baker Act (VGBA) on pools & spas in conjunction with the WI Dept of Commerce and Dept of Health Services.  If you are a lodging property owner or manager with a pool or spa on your property (or you’re the pool/ spa manager), then this seminar is for you!

DETAILS:
Thursday, April 23, 2009
1:00 – 2:30  pm
Wisconsin Dells

“VGBA Update:  What Modifications are Really Needed?”
The federal Virginia Graeme Baker Act (VGBA), imposing new requirements for pools to prevent suction entrapment incidents, went into effect December 19, 2008.  With high quoted costs and a measurable amount of misinformation from a variety of sources adding to the confusion, the WIA wants lodging properties with pools and the vendors that service them to hear directly from the Department of Commerce what is needed to come into compliance with the new regulations, without spending more than may be necessary.

WHAT WILL BE COVERED:

  • The basic process for compliance
  • Who is required to do what, and where is there flexibility?
  • Are there less expensive alternatives to digging up concrete, and what are they?
  • What new information is now available?
  • What are the most common fallacies relating to this law?
  • What should pool operators ask engineers (PE’s) and vendors when “shopping” for assistance?
  • The status of the current state Emergency Rule holding down Plan Review Fees until May

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED:
This is a free seminar to all WIA member lodging property pool owners or managers and WIA member pool vendors registering before April 21st.  Non-member lodging properties may attend for $20 per person.
Contact the WIA office for more information or sign up online at the WIA members’ site.

For more information on either the Act or the upcoming seminar, please contact the WIA office.

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New I-9 Forms in effect April 3, 2009

April 2, 2009 in Legislative & Regulatory Issues, WH&LA Membership Features | No comments

USCIS_logoAttention Employers:  Changes have been made to the list of acceptable documents for employment verification and a revised I-9 form goes into effect tomorrow, April 3, 2009.

From the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services web site:
Beginning April 3, 2009, employers may only accept documents listed on the List of Acceptable Documents on the revised Form I-9. When an employee must be reverified because his or her employment authorization has expired, employers should ensure that they use the revised Form I-9 with its new List of Acceptable Documents. An employer may not reverify the employee by completing Section 3 – Updating and Reverification on a previous version of the Form I-9.

All U.S. employers are responsible for completion and retention of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and non-citizens. On the form, the employer must verify the employment eligibility and identity documents presented by the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the last page of the form.

Edition Date : Rev. 6/5/07.
Please note that the revision date can be found on the lower right hand corner of the form. No previous edition accepted.

Where to File :
Do not file Form I-9 with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or USCIS. Form I-9 must be kept by the employer either for three years after the date of hire or for one year after employment is terminated, whichever is later. The form must be available for inspection by authorized U.S. Government officials (e.g., Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Office of Special Counsel).

New I-9 forms:
You can download the revised forms here (bottom of page) or order paper copies by calling USCIS at 1-800-870-3676.

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WIA goes to Washington

March 17, 2009 in Legislative & Regulatory Issues | No comments

us_capitolWIA members are in Washington DC this week along with hoteliers from throughout the country as part of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Legislative Action Summit.   With a visit to the White House yesterday afternoon and scheduled visits with Wisconsin representatives later today, WIA members will be sharing how issues such as Card Check, the importance of business travel, VGBA and US Travel & Tourism promotion funding impact Wisconsin’s lodging industry.

The WIA works to protect members’ business interests by tracking, actively supporting favorable and educating lawmakers on potentially harmful  industry legislation.  To learn more about WIA’s positions, hot issues tracker & how you can participate in protecting Wisconsin’s lodging industry, visit the WIA Legislative Center.  (You’ll need your member username & password for full access to information – please contact the WIA office if you need assistance.)

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