Basic HTML Version
www.ohiorestaurant.org
15
Fall 2012 Issue
PUBLIC POLICY
The NRA has a federal political action
committee (PAC) – the Restaurant PAC,
which is staffed by Caitlin Donahue.
NRA members make personal, LLC,
partnership or sole proprietorship
contributions to enable the NRA
to provide financial support to the
campaigns of candidates for Congress
that they feel will help the restaurant
industry. The Restaurant PAC has made a
huge commitment to Ohio congressional
candidates by contributing more than
$50,000 to Ohio candidates in the
2012 election cycle, which is more than
Ohio restaurateurs sent to the PAC.
I hope that you are aware that the ORA
holds an annual golf tournament to
raise funds for the advocacy program.
Half of the proceeds of the SAFE Golf
Classic are directed to the NRA’s
Restaurant Advocacy Fund (RAF),
which is managed by Brendan Flanagan.
RAF invests in non-candidate political
initiatives, such as when it helped Ohio
fight the proposal for mandatory paid
sick leave in 2008 – an issue that was
ultimately withdrawn from the ballot.
It may seem obvious, but it is important
to note the evolution of how the federal
government has applied its power.
The system we all learned about in
grade school seems simple; Congress
passes laws, which are signed by the
President and implemented by the
Executive Branch. The key word there
is: implemented.
Two forces at work result in more and
more power being wielded by federal
bureaucrats. First, Congress itself has
developed an aversion to anything
controversial. So, rather than passing
specific laws that upset a segment of the
electorate, Congress passes a “concept”
and tells the federal agencies to fill in
the details with rules and regulations.
Second, occupants of the White House
from both political parties get frustrated
with their inability to persuade Congress
to enact their agenda. The President
turns to his department secretaries
and tells them to change public policy
by using the authority that Congress
granted them when they initially asked
them to “fill in the details.” For a
national advocacy association like the
NRA, this means that lobbyists spend
as much time lobbying bureaucrats as
they do members of Congress. We see
the same trend here in Ohio.
You can have a direct impact on
the decisions made by Congress by
participating in the NRA’s annual Public
affairs Conference, which will be held
next on Apr. 17-18, 2013. This “day
on the Hill” brings more than 500
restaurateurs to D.C. to learn about the
issues and meet face-to-face with their
U.S. Senators and Representatives.
Please give serious consideration
to attending the 2013 conference,
which is comprised of a series of
mini-seminars on the top legislative
issues of the day followed by an
impressive sit-down banquet with
industry awards and political speakers.
Day Two begins early with a full
breakfast, a couple of inspirational
speakers from Congress and a trip by
bus to Capitol Hill. The ORA makes all
of the appointments for our delegation
with each attendee typically calling
on a half-dozen members of Congress
from Ohio in groups of three to six
restaurateurs. There is a reception for
attendees, Congressional members
and their staffs that evening. Some
from our delegation stay that night,
others fly home. It is inspiring, fun
and important. If you haven’t had the
experience, give it a try!
Finally, ORA members should know
that we have and continue to build
relationships with a number of national
restaurant companies who also value
advocacy. I maintain a list of about
30 multi-unit restaurant company
government affairs representatives and
periodically reach out to them for their
input and help with an Ohio issue. There
is power in numbers, and we take all of
the help that we can get.
I have been involved with political
advocacy in a variety of industry sectors
for more than 30 years. In this capacity,
I’ve worked with the respective national
associations. While none of us who
advocate for our clients win 100 percent
of the time and we can always do better,
I believe that the NRA does an excellent
job on your behalf.
By Richard Mason,
Director of Government Affairs,
Ohio Restaurant Association
“... You can have a direct impact on the
decisions made by Congress by participating in
the NRA’s annual Public affairs Conference... ”