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Government Testimony: Your Membership Dollars at Work

September 9, 2009

RAMW works hard to represent the interests of the metropolitan DC area restaurant community to local governments and representatives.  We do this through direct lobbying of elected officials, information campaigns, and analyses of the large tax and regulatory burdens restaurants face.  Another vital way we voice the concerns of our members is testimony in front of government committees and at public hearings.  Below are some examples of testimony from RAMW’s leadership on key restaurant issues (grouped by issue).


DC Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Public Works and Transportation in support of Fred Moosally’s appointment as new ABRA director (June 2009).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies at a public hearing on the Alcoholic Beverage Enforcement Act of 2008, outlining the excessive fees and culture of over-regulation persistent within ABRA (Nov 2008).
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RAMW General Counsel Andrew testifies at a public hearing on the Alcoholic Beverage Enforcement Act of 2008, noting problematic sections of the Act and suggesting improvements (Nov 2008).
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RAMW-EF Chairman (and RAMW Board Member) Gregory Casten testifies at a public hearing on the Alcoholic Beverage Enforcement Act of 2008, explaining how arbitrary and excessive alcohol citations threaten restaurants’ survival in a shaky economy (Nov 2008).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies at a hearing on the ABC Board’s Sale to Minors Policy and explains the counter-productivity of ABRA fines and suspensions of restaurants (Oct 2008).
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RAMW-EF Chairman Gregory Casten testifies at a hearing on the ABC Board’s Sale to Minors Policy and recounts multiple instances of unnecessary fines and citations of restaurants by ABRA authorities (Oct 2008).
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Former RAMW Public Policy Advisor Patrick Horn testifies on positive reforms pursued by ABRA and Marie Delaney’s administration of the agency (May 2006).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies on the 2006 annual ABRA budget proposal (Apr 2006).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies about the negative effects of the Dupont Circle West moratorium on ABC licenses, which prevents restaurants in the neighborhood from obtaining new mixed beverage licenses (May 2005).
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Smoking Ban (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Health about the positives and negatives of smoking bans, and how the restaurant market is already solving the problem through certain restaurants voluntarily going smoke-free (Sep 2005).
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Former RAMW Chairman Ron Hallagan testifies about the over-regulation of restaurants that smoking bans add to, and how such bans consistently hurt small businesses (June 2005).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Public Works and the Environment about how smoking bans
can erode consumer choice, decrease revenue for both restaurants and the city, and do not always represent the wishes of restaurant employees (June 2005).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Public Works about the problems associated with a proposed city-wide smoking ban in restaurants (Dec 2003).
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Washington Convention Center (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committees on Economic Development, and Finance and Revenue, in support of the new convention center hotel (June 2009).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Economic Development in support of transferring the convention center’s site control to the Washington Convention Center Authority (Oct 2003).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Economic Development about the benefit a new convention center would have for both the city and its restaurants (Oct 2003).
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Street Vendor Regulation (DC)

RAMW General Counsel Andrew Kline testifies in front of the DC Committee on Public Service and Consumer Affairs, voicing restaurant concerns with the Vending Regulation Act of 2009 (June 2009).
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Plastic Bag Tax (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committees on Government Operations and the Environment, and Finance and Revenue, pointing out the undue regulatory burden placed on restaurants by the proposed bag tax measure (April 2009).
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Stimulus Funds (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the full DC City Council, outlining several uses for DC funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that would benefit both the city and its restaurateurs (Feb 2009).
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Southwest Waterfront (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in support of a plan to better develop Southwest Washington’s waterfront areas (Sep 2003).
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RAMW-Education Foundation and DC Public Schools

Former RAMW-EF Program Director Frans Hagen testifies in front of the DC Special Committee on Vocational Education and Jobs about the partnership between RAMW-EF and DCPS, and how the collaboration is providing benefits to both city residents and the restaurant industry (July 2006).
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Extended Inauguration Hours (DC)

Former RAMW Chairman Paul Cohn testifies in front of the DC Committee on Finance and Revenue and details how extending restaurant service hours during President Obama’s inauguration benefited the DC restaurant industry (Feb 2009).
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Golden Triangle District (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies at a public hearing on the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID), expressing support for the BID’s designation and encouraging an extension of its term (May 2008).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the deputy mayor about the Golden Triangle BID’s benefit to local businesses, and supports an extension of its term (June 2003).
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DC Baseball

Former RAMW Chairman Paul Cohn testifies in front of the DC Committee on Finance and Revenue in 2003, supporting the District’s efforts to bring a new baseball team to the city (June 2003).
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Master Business Law (DC)

RAMW General Counsel Andrew Kline testifies in front of the DC Committee on Consumer & Regulatory Affairs about the major problems with the District’s Master Business License (MBL) and how confusion regarding its use was harming restaurants.  The MBL is no longer used in DC (Oct 2002). 
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Taxicab Service (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies on the various problems and possible solutions for DC’s taxi system after being nominated to the Taxicab Commission (Oct 2006).
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RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Public Works and the Environment about the Taxicab and Limousine Reform Act, offering suggestions to change the taxi zone system and improve the way taxi transportation is regulated (Nov 2004).
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Menu Labeling (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies in front of the DC Committee on Human Services about the substantial burden that would be placed on restaurants by requiring detailed nutrition labeling on menus (Nov 2003).
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Trash Service & Community Health (DC)

RAMW President Lynne Breaux testifies at a public hearing to voice support for the Trash Compactor Incentive Act of 2008, which provides financial assistance to restaurants to purchase or lease trash compactors (Nov 2008).
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Waste Hauling (Arlington County, VA)

Former RAMW Public Policy Advisor Patrick Horn testifies in front of Arlington County’s Committee on Local Government, outlining the problems for restaurants stemming from Arlington’s proposal to franchise waste hauling services (Feb 2005).
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U.S. House of Representatives

RAMW Board Member Geoff Tracy testifies in front of the U.S. House Committee on Small Business about the impact of rising food prices on restaurants, and how Congress can help (June 2008).
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RAMW Board Member Oren Molovinsky joins with Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) to introduce a bill that clarifies credit card interchange fees and provides retailers greater flexibility in accepting different types of cards (June 2008).
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Related Issues & Advocacy Categories:
Jurisdiction:
Washington DC