MRLA Legislative Action Committee
The Legislative Action Committee (LAC) is a non-segregated fund created within the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association’s status as a 501c(6) non-profit organization to educate and advocate on issues and individuals important to the hospitality industry. The fund can accept corporate contributions, which can be used for issue advocacy, member education, ballot questions, direct contributions to eligible entities, and covering travel, food, and lodging costs.
Why did the MRLA create the LAC? The hospitality industry is a large industry of small businesses operating on narrow profit margins. Each time an interest group or a legislator proposes a new mandate, or a new tax, restaurants and hotels are hit hard. The hospitality industry needs to be prepared to fight back! The LAC serves as a catalyst to mobilize, educate, and execute the hospitality industry’s political efforts here in Michigan, and to be successful in defending our business interests we must mobilize, educate, and execute our industry’s political efforts at a level never seen before. While the Political Action Committee (PAC) has without a doubt been a powerful and effective tool for the MRLA, it is also becoming clear that without a powerful corporate counterpart, the MRLA might as well be fighting future efforts with one hand tied behind its back. State law allows for many uses of these non-regulated dollars in the legislative and political arena: issue advocacy, member education, ballot questions, direct contributions to eligible entities, covering travel, food, and lodging costs, etc. In addition, today, more and more legislative leaders, non-leadership legislators, other office holders, candidates, political parties, legislative caucuses, and other entities have established funds and foundations that are eligible to receive corporate, non-regulated dollars, for a variety of uses: political, campaign-related, issue advocacy, district and constituent work, travel, etc. |
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