GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS  FEATURES


Inside the Beltway E


arly last month, at OABA’s Spring Board Meeting in Wash- ington, D.C., nearly 30 members of the OABA Board engaged in a one-day lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill. The group met with twenty U.S. Representatives or Senators and key Congressional staffers to discuss our legislative priorities for the 116th Congress. We met with a range of Members — from strong support- ers to elected officials who have not expressed any particular views on Cap Relief for the H-2B Program. Our objectives were simple — continue our efforts to educate Members and develop genuine relationships with those who represent us in Washington and persuade lawmakers to support our legislative priorities. We focused our time with Members on discussing H-2B Cap Relief, the Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2019, and the mobile housing rule.


Overall, our messages were well received by those we contacted. We reached Members we have not talked to before and developed several new sup- porters that we believe will become strong champions for our issues. While this face to face contact in Washington remains extremely valuable, touching Members at home is critical to our efforts and is part of OABA’s overall strategy. Telling your personal story to those who represent you is important. Explaining the real impacts that H-2B caps have on your business, including the detrimental impact on your American workforce, is a story that we must tell over and over. During Hill Day, what resonated well was walking Members and staff through the dramatic impact not having a reliable le- gal workforce has on your community — from decisions not to purchase new rides and the effect that has on manufacturers, to reducing or eliminating venues that you play and the result- ing reduction in revenues to local charities or tax revenues to local governments. Ours is an important story to share and your efforts have had a measurable positive influence on the


Government Feature Title by John Ariale, Husch Blackwell Strategies – OABA’s Government Relations Team by Government Officlal Name OABA Presents Priorities to Lawmakers


way Member offices engage us in conversation on these impor- tant issues.


Legislative Spotlight — The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act


The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last year but was not considered by the Senate. On February 28, 2019, Senator Thune reintroduced the legislation (S. 604) and numerous Representatives, who were co-sponsors of this legislation last year, are considering re-introducing the legislation in the House as a companion bill to Senator Thune’s leg- islation. Senator Thune’s bill already has 34 co-spon- sors. Many members we spoke with during OABA’s Hill Day expressed their support for the legislation. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia levy a personal income tax on wages and partner- ship income. The state tax laws that determine when a nonresident must pay a foreign state’s income tax, and when employers must withhold this tax, are numerous and varied. Some have a days worked in-state threshold. Others have a de minimis exception to employer withholding requirements based on wages earned. Some state thresholds are tied to personal exemption, standard deduction, or filing thresholds that can change each year. These complicated rules impact everyone who travels for work and many industries besides ours, including the retail, manufacturing, real estate, technology, food, services, and consulting industries. The result is a significant burden on interstate commerce. The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simpli- fication Act provides a clear, uniform framework for when states may tax nonresident employees who travel to the taxing state to perform work. In particular, the bill prevents states from imposing income tax compliance burdens on nonresidents who work in a foreign state for 30 days or fewer in a calendar year. As part of the numerous issues we are tracking and advocat- ing on in Washington for OABA, we will continue to push for the reintroduction of The Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act in the House and for the legislation’s ultimate enactment in the 116th Congress. 


John Ariale is a Principal at Husch Blackwell Strategies where he works with Gregg Hartley and William Fox as part of OABA’s Government Relations Team in Washington, DC. Husch Blackwell Strategies represents OABA before Congress and the Administration.


JUNE 2019 | OABA ShowTime Magazine  21


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