The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA), a proud member of the National Restaurant Association, commends the bipartisan immigration reform proposal unveiled this week in Washington, D.C.
“This bipartisan reform proposal gives us hope that we are headed down a better path toward immigration reform,” said Carol Dover, president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “The FRLA has consistently supported a federal solution in supporting a guest worker program that allows foreign workers to remain a vital part of Florida’s economic engine, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industry.”
The National Restaurant Association, representing an industry of nearly one million restaurants and 13 million employees, issued the following statement Tuesday about the federal proposal:
“We commend the ‘Gang of Eight’ for their leadership in crafting a comprehensive reform bill to help fix our nation’s broken immigration system,” said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “The opportunity is now. This is the year for Congress to pass sensible immigration reform.
“The National Restaurant Association has been involved in the immigration reform debate at each step of the process for over two decades, and as an industry that plays such an important role in the nation’s economy, with the second largest private sector workforce, we are pleased to see some of the most critical priorities of the restaurant industry addressed in this proposal.
“We commend the bipartisan commitment and process that resulted in the legislation that will be introduced this week, and we believe the proposal has the right framework to tackle our three key priorities:
– At its core, the proposal includes a pathway to legal work status, offering undocumented workers and their families a process of known steps to gain permanent legalization.
– The plan incorporates a national employment verification system that would provide employers with certainty in regard to their legal obligations, while preempting a patchwork of state and local laws.
– The proposal includes improved border security that helps prevent illegal border crossings, while encouraging legitimate travel and tourism to the United States to grow jobs here at home.
“We look forward to working with legislators to address some deficiencies in the guest worker program framework, and to improve the employment verification component of the legislation, however we again commend the ‘Gang of Eight’ for their bipartisan efforts moving a comprehensive immigration reform package forward.
“In addition, this week, hundreds of restaurateurs from across the country will be in Washington for the National Restaurant Association’s Public Affairs Conference, and will have the opportunity to share their thoughts about the proposal firsthand with legislators on Capitol Hill.”
# # #
About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA’s mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s hospitality industry – which represents a $71.8 billion industry, 23% of Florida’s economy, $4.3 billion in sales tax revenue, and over one million employees, making it Florida’s largest employer. It is Florida’s premier non-profit, hospitality industry trade association. FRLA safeguards the needs of the hospitality industry, improves the business climate, promotes the highest levels of quality and safety for our patrons, provides legislative advocacy, and eases navigation of government regulation. The Association represents and serves more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org. – See more at: http://frla.org/government-relations/federal-news/item/1309-the-florida-restaurant-and-lodging-association-and-the-national-restaurant-association-applauds-us-senators-for-bipartisan-immigration-reform-proposal-#sthash.RsOGTTlA.dpuf