Issues Summary

Established in 1893, the California Hotel

& Lodging Association (CH&LA) is the

largest state lodging association in the nation. Its

members include all segments of the lodging industry

including the California Association of Boutique

& Breakfast Inns – California’s largest association

of professional innkeepers and certified boutique

and breakfast inns. CH&LA protects the rights and

interests of the California hotel and lodging industry.

CH&LA is online at www.calodging.com.

414 29TH STREETSACRAMENTO, CA 95816-3211916.444.5780FAX: 916.444.5848www.calodging.com

CALIFORNIA HOTEL & LODGING ASSOCIATION OVERVIEW

MARCH 7

2018SHERATON GRANDS A C R A M E N T O

17

17TH ANNUAL CALIFORNIA HOTEL & LODGING INDUSTRY

LEGISLATIVE ACTION SUMMIT

ISSUE: HUMAN TRAFFICKINGCH&LA POSITION: As an industry, we recognize that hotels play an important role in fighting human trafficking and have worked to increase awareness of this important issue. Via currently available industry resources, hotels are encouraged to establish procedures and policies to determine how best to address these terrible crimes. Educating and training employees to recognize and report suspected instances of trafficking is very important in stopping this illicit crime. CH&LA has partnered with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign and other human trafficking groups to help educate prop-erties to combat human trafficking.

SENATE BILL 970 by Senator Toni Atkins (D – San Diego) SUPPORT

This bill would require all California hotels and motels to provide at least 20 minutes of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding human trafficking awareness to each employee who is likely to interact or come into contact with victims of human trafficking. This training would be required for all new and existing hotel employ-ees starting in January 1, 2020. This legislation does not create a mandatory reporting requirement for hotel employees.

OTHER PRIORITY LEGISLATION

SENATE BILL 905 by Senator Scott Wiener (D – San Francisco) SUPPORT

Would, beginning January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, require the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to conduct a pilot program that would authorize the depart-ment to issue an additional hours license to an on-sale licensee located in a qualified city which would authorize, with or without conditions, the selling, giving, or purchasing of alcoholic beverages at the licensed premises between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., upon completion of specified requirements by the qualified city in which the licensee is located. The bill would impose specified fees related to the license to be deposited in the Alcohol Beverage Control Fund.

ASSEMBLY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 22 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento) OPPOSE

This measure would impose a surcharge of 10% on the net income of all corporations that is over $1,000,000. The measure would authorize the Legislature to increase or decrease the surcharge by a 2/3 vote of each house, as provided. The measure would require the de-posit of those revenues, less refunds, into the Middle Class Fiscal Relief Fund, which would be created by the measure. Revenues in the fund would be allocated, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes.

CALIFORNIA HOTEL & LODGING INDUSTRY ECONOMIC OVERVIEW California’s hotels represent a significant segment of the state’s economy:

• 5,615 properties and 520,000 guest rooms in California hotel industry.• Over 575,000 employees employed by the California hotel industry. • The hotel industry contributed $82.6 billion to California’s GDP.• Hotels support $24.0 billion of federal, state and local taxes. • Hotel guests spent $66.3 billion at California hotels and local businesses, and on

transportation.

ISSUE: PANIC BUTTONSCH&LA POSITION: The safety of guests and hotel employees is a top priority. While no industry is immune to dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace, our industry has in place procedures and protocols for employees around reporting and prevention that are continuously reviewed and updated. CH&LA is supportive of the many hotels in the state that already provide panic buttons to their employees.

CH&LA is closely watching proposed legislation and looks forward to proactively ensuring that any final legislation is effective, while not being overtly onerous to the hotel and lodg-ing industry.

ASSEMBLY BILL 1761 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D – Torrance) OPPOSE

Would require, among other things, that a hotel employer, as defined, provide its em-ployees with a panic button in order to summon assistance when working alone in the guestroom. Also, the bill would require a hotel employer to compile and maintain a list of guests who have been alleged to have committed an act of violence or harassment against employees at that hotel and to decline service to any person on that list for a period of 3 years. Furthermore, the bill would require properties to post a notice on the back of each guestroom door informing guests that housekeepers are armed with panic buttons.

CH&LA has significant concerns with this bill such as the provision requiring lodging properties to blacklist guests as it would be very difficult to enforce. This blacklisting provision would violate the rights of our guests and force our employees to take on a law enforcement role. Additionally, posting signs in each guest room is impracticable and would inform guests of what employees are carrying giving them the opportunity to disarm them before a device is used.

17TH ANNUAL CALIFORNIA HOTEL & LODGING INDUSTRY

LEGISLATIVE ACTION SUMMIT