MACVB - Your Legislative Advocacy

MACVB Advocates On Behalf of the Tourism Industry:

In recent years, MAVCVB increased its efforts to lobby Minnesota legislators on behalf of the tourism industry. Tourism and marketing Minnesota as a destination, is critical to Minnesota’s economy.

POSITION STATEMENTS:

FACTS:

The leisure and hospitality sector contributes $15 billion in annual gross sales. That’s almost $41 million per day.

Sales generated from leisure and hospitality businesses grew by 50% between 2004 and 2016. All other industries sales grew 24% in the same time.

The industry supports 265,000 full- and part-time jobs, $5.4 billion in payroll and represents 11% of all private sector employment in Minnesota.

Tourism generates state and local sales tax revenue of $969 million – approximately 18% of all state tax revenue.

In the absence of the state and local taxes generated by travelers, each Minnesota household would need to pay an additional $585 in taxes to fill the gap.

Tourism supports economic growth and vitality in virtually every county of Minnesota.

OUR APPROACH:

MACVB contracts with Hill Capitol Strategies as its lobbyist at the Minnesota State Legislature. Represented by Todd Hill and Tony Kwilas, well-known and respected lobbyists, our focus is on five key issues:

1. Preserving the limited use of local option sales tax to marketing (Read More);

2. Increasing funding for Explore Minnesota for additional marketing and promotional efforts (Read More);

3. Supporting uniform regulation and taxation around the collection of sales and lodging taxes (Read More); and,

4. Maintaining the prohibition of school districts starting classes prior to Labor Day (Read More).

ASK MACVB:

One of the best reasons to be a member of MACVB is simply having a resource to go to when you have a question…whether it be about the appropriate use of lodging taxes, city ordinances, creating a CVB, or any other topic. Members are welcome to direct questions to Executive Director, Deb McMillan by phone

651-292-3923 or email deb@minnesotacvbs.com. If Deb can’t provide an answer right away, we’ll do some research or put you in touch with the right expert.

When you “Ask MACVB,” you save time and money getting the answers you need. It’s easy, it’s quick and it’s confidential!

Todd Hill
Hill Capital Strategies, Inc
13570 Grove Drive
Suite 281
Maple Grove, MN 55311
(612) 961-5106
todd@hillcapitolstrategies.com
www.hillcapitolstrategies.com

Tony Kwilas
Hill Capital Strategies, Inc
13570 Grove Drive
Suite 281
Maple Grove, MN 55311
651.292.4668
tkwilas@mnchamber.com
www.hillcapitolstrategies.com

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

April 2019 – MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

The Legislature having returned this week from a 10-day Easter/Passover/Spring Break has hit the ground running. Prior to the break, the House completed their work in the various finance committees. The House released their tax proposal and bills with tourism related funding and policy provisions. The Senate returned this week and released their tax proposal […]

March 2019 – MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

March brings us closer to the mid-point of the 2019 Legislative Session and the start of Legislative Deadlines. The First Policy Deadline arrived Friday, March 15th. At that point, policy bills must have cleared all policy committees in either the House or Senate. Unlike previous sessions where the Second Policy Deadline followed the week after […]

February 2019 – MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

Explore Minnesota Tourism Funding Last week, Senator Ruud presented SF 721 to the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance Committee, of which she is the Chair. The bill is a legislative priority of both the Minnesota Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus and the Minnesota Tourism Growth Council. The legislation would increase […]

January 2019 – MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

The only split party Legislature in the nation will begin Tuesday, January 8th, 2019. Minnesota’s 91st Legislature must complete their work by midnight on May 21st. The odd-year session will primarily be focused on adopting the 2020-2021 biennial budget. In addition, Governor-elect Walz will be sworn into office on January 7th. The incoming Governor will […]

December 2018 – MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

October 2018 – MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

With the change of the seasons we are now within days of the fall elections and before we know it the start of the 2019 Legislative Session. Over the interim, the MACVB Legislative Committee, MACVB Board and the leadership of Explore Minnesota have all been working to develop the tourism agendas for the upcoming session. […]

August 2018 – MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

On August 14th, Minnesota conducted Primary Elections and the races for Governor, U.S. Senate and control of the Minnesota Legislature are now set for the November General election. In the DFL Primary for Governor, Congressman Tim Walz and State Representative Peggy Flanagan defeated the DFL endorsed team of Former House Majority Leader Erin Murphy and […]

From MACVB Lobbyist, Todd Hill/Hill Capitol Strategies

As we move further away from the May 2018 adjournment of the Minnesota Legislature, attention turns from committee work and floor votes to door-knocking, fundraising events, endorsements and elections. The 2018 Legislative Session was primarily focused on the passage of a bonding bill, federal tax conformity and supplemental spending. The Dayton Administration was unable to […]

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM MNRSA LOBBYISTS

Conformity with the Federal Tax Bill remains a major goal of the 2018 Session. However, the proposals presented by the Dayton Administration and considered by the House and the Senate appear to present significant differences in how to conform with the federal law and limit negative impacts on Minnesota taxpayers. Chatter in the Halls of […]

November Legislative Update

To say these are unsettled times in the political world, is a significant understatement. First, implementation of Real ID is caught up in the challenges facing the Department of Public Safety as it works to implement a new system for vehicle registration. There have been several staff “adjustments” in the last week that will alter […]

CASE STUDY: THIEF RIVER FALLS DEFENDS LODGING TAX

The Thief River Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau found out via a July 5, 2017 newspaper article (See Right) that the Thief River Falls City Administrator and Mayor had begun work on behalf of the City of Thief River Falls (without a vote or verbal consent) to lobby the Minnesota Legislature to change […]

October Legislative Update

Greetings of the season – looks like summer IS over!! It was great so see so many of you at the Annual Meeting. There was an opportunity for attendees to have a discussion of public policy issues that are important to different areas of the state as well as the broader issues, such as lodging […]

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