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6 www.ohiorestaurant.org Spring Issue

ABOVE: ORA Representatives met with Congressman Steve Austria (R) Springfeld, and discussed how decisions made by lawmakers impact Ohio’s small businesses and the state’s overall economic engine. Pictured in this photo are (clockwise): Jim Sauter, The Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern; Congressman Austria; ORA Government Affairs Director Richard Mason; Thom Coffman, The Clarmont; Roy Getz, Raising Cane’s of Ohio; and Dan Young, Young’s Jersey Dairy. LEFT: Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for the National Restaurant Association.

On April 13-15, 2011, 500 restaurateurs advocated industry positions on matters ranging from health care reform, interchange fees and building depreciation during the National Restaurant Association’s 25th annual Public Affairs Conference. Representatives from Ohio’s foodservice industry joined restaurateurs from 43 other states to ensure that lawmakers understand how the laws they make impact the daily lives of countless individuals – from restaurant operators to line cooks to consumers looking for a healthy meal at an affordable price. They also wanted them to realize what an integral role foodservice plays in driving the nation’s economy.

“E-mails and letters are helpful, but nothing gets the attention of an elected offcial like a face-to-face conversation with a constituent,” said Richard Mason, the ORA’s Director of Government Affairs.

“The ORA members who attended this year did a great job educating Ohio’s Representatives and Senators about these important issues.”

The conference, which began with education sessions and an awards gala, wrapped up Friday with a meeting on tax issues. However, the key issue discussed this year with lawmakers was the need to implement the debit card interchange fee reforms passed in last year’s Durbin Amendment. These reforms instructed the Federal Reserve to ensure that the debit card swipe fees merchants get charged when guests pay by debit cards are in line with what it costs to process the transactions. The NRA and its members fought successfully for the reforms to the broken debit card swipe fee market.

In December 2010, the Federal Reserve issued draft rules to enforce the law, proposing to

scale back merchants debit card swipe fees from an average of 44 cents per transaction to a cap of 7 to 12 cents per transaction under the “reasonable and proportional” standard set by the law. However, now the big banks and debit card companies are trying to delay the reforms, which are scheduled to go into effect on July 21, 2011.

“Every month that passes without debit card swipe fee reform is another $1.3 billion out of the pockets of small businesses and their customers,” said Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for the National Restaurant Association. “Members of Congress should stand with their constituents and Main Street and fight tactics designed to halt these needed reforms.”