Urge Congress to Act: Recently, Representatives Van Taylor (R-TX), Al Lawson (D-FL), and Andy Barr (R-KY) introduced bipartisan legislation, The Helping Open Properties Endeavor (HOPE) Act (H.R. 7809). This legislation would provide borrowers of commercial mortgages with financial assistance through the HOPE Preferred Equity lending facility. The bill would help prevent commercial real estate foreclosures and protect jobs in the hospitality industry.
The hotel industry supports The HOPE Act to give struggling small business hotels an opportunity to keep their doors open and avoid foreclosure. Currently, The HOPE Act continues to gain cosponsors, but we need your help to gain more support. Please join us in urging Members of Congress to cosponsor and quickly pass this legislation to keep hotels open for business and position America’s tourism industry to survive and recover when the public health crisis subsides.
Executive Orders:
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump signed four Executive Orders to help students and families struggling because of COVID 19. The action follows a breakdown in negotiations this week between Congress and the Administration. The actions include an extension of unemployment benefits through the end of year, which come down from $600/week to $400/week.
The four Orders include:
- Defer payroll taxes for Americans earning less than $100,000 a year.
- Implement a moratorium on evictions and give financial assistance to renters.
- Add $400 per week in extra unemployment benefits through the end of 2020, requiring states to cover 25% of the additional benefits.
- Postpone student loan interest and payments through the end of 2020.
AzLTA will continue to work with AHLA and U.S. Travel to advocate for these bills and additional industry priorities.
