"This bill will help restaurants and small businesses with tax relief and assistance in gaining access to capital that is critical to economic and financial recovery. Our industry, employing nearly 13 million Americans at 945,000 restaurants locations nationwide, is composed] mainly of small, independent businesses.

"Households are still holding back on spending, and as a result many restaurant operators are continuing to struggle. The provisions in this bill to expand access to capital will help restaurant operators make necessary investments, hire and retain workers, and, in certain cases, keep their doors open. The modernization of popular Small Business Administration loan programs, the inclusion of refinance options and extension of expiring loan guarantees and borrower fee reductions will go a long way to help small businesses in this difficult credit climate.

"The expensing provisions will encourage restaurants to undertake capital expenditures, and these will have a multiplier effect, spurring economic activity and job growth in communities throughout the country."

"Although the Senate could not reach an agreement [on Sept. 14], it is clear that repealing the expanded 1099 rules has bipartisan support in Congress and it seems the only roadblock is that lawmakers cannot agree on how best to pay for it. We urge policymakers to remain committed to repealing this far-reaching rule that would place a significant burden on restaurants and businesses across the country. Tax paperwork and compliance are already major expenses for restaurants that operate on thin profit margins, and the expanded reporting requirement will greatly increase those costs."

"Each day the need for immigration reform becomes clearer, and we commend the President for his commitment and continued leadership. It is absolutely critical for our nation that Congress develop a sensible immigration reform solution.

"Addressing our broken immigration system is an economic necessity for our industry as well as our country. The nation's 945,000 restaurant locations and their millions of employees have much at stake in this debate, and the consequences of failure to find a solution on this vital issue will be severe. The President has been a leading voice working to find a resolution to this crisis, and while significant areas of disagreement exist among advocates, we remain committed to the work ahead.

"We believe that a bipartisan process has the best chance of success, and it is imperative that the Congress continues to work toward a solution. The [NRA] pledges its continued vigorous support of sensible reform that strengthens our borders; provides a way for employers to hire from abroad when U.S. workers are not available; establishes a verification system that is effective, inexpensive and reliable, and does not unfairly penalize employers; and creates a commonsense solution for undocumented workers in the United States."

"The NRA is committed to helping Americans live healthier lives and continuing to provide healthy dining options for our customers. We have been collaborating with restaurant food suppliers, food processors and health organizations to address this issue, such as through the recently enacted nutrition information law.

"We appreciate the IOM's recommendations to take an incremental approach to decreasing sodium in the nation's food supply and we are committed to working with our members, partners throughout the supply chain, and the Food and Drug Administration to address this important issue. We agree with the IOM's focus on consumer acceptance, and the acknowledgement that gradual change is essential to success is welcome. The industry supports a voluntary, incremental approach to reducing sodium levels in menu items, and would have concerns about any potential government mandate that creates a one-size-fits-all rule to ingredient standards or sets arbitrary per-item limits that do not reflect the complexity of addressing the nation's eating habits and improving overall wellness. Without customer acceptance, there will be no measurable change in consumer behavior.

"The restaurant industry has been working for some time to reduce sodium in menu items, recognizing that in many restaurants across the country, the supply chain is critical to that effort. In an industry that incorporates a broad array of concepts and ethnic cuisines, tastes and expectations of food choices differ across the country and among cultures. It is important to recognize that sodium is essential to both the quality and food safety of menu items. While we support identifying options that provide lower sodium choices for customers, we cannot do so at the risk of food safety or quality issues."

"On behalf of the association representing the nation's second-largest private-sector employer, we are very concerned about the impact many of the provisions in this health care bill would have on the restaurant industry. The changes included in the modified version of the bill would severely and negatively impact restaurants by weakening the small business exemption, increasing penalties on employers and imposing onerous administrative burdens on the industry.

"The NRA has worked actively during the past year to advocate for provisions in the bill that would protect the industry and was successful in achieving several improvements. When changes to the final version of the bill were announced last week, the NRA Board's Executive Committee voted unanimously to publicly oppose the legislation.

"We are committed to reducing costs in the health care system and expanding health care coverage for the industry's workforce. However, we are extremely concerned that the health care bill that passed [March 21] will impose tremendous burdens on America's restaurants and hurt our industry's ability to create and sustain jobs.

"We will continue to look for every opportunity and explore every avenue to create jobs, strengthen the economy and protect the restaurant industry as this legislation moves forward to the Senate, as well as in the regulatory process. We will ask the Senate to address the protections for small businesses when they take up the reconciliation provisions. In particular, we call on them to address the provisions regarding part-time workers, which will directly impact the creation of jobs during this critical time for our country."

"The National Restaurant Association, representing the nation's second-largest private sector employer, welcomes initiatives in the federal budget to support small business, job creation and our nation's economic recovery. We support President Obama's call for tax incentives to help spur the economy and generate additional jobs.

"We encourage the extension of expired tax provisions that allow businesses an enhanced deduction for expensing and 'bonus' depreciation for capital expenditures. These measures will encourage restaurants to invest and grow. A tax credit for new hires will further encourage restaurateurs to create jobs.

"While our industry expects to reverse a short-term contraction and add jobs in 2010, the scale of the industry's upturn depends largely on consumer confidence. Until personal disposable income increases and general unemployment levels fall, economic recovery will be pro­longed. Consequently, we strongly support efforts that lead to measurable, overall results, while reducing deficits in the long term."

"The injustice against U.S. poultry has continued for far too long, and it is time to begin correct that injustice. [We] encourage USTR to fully and resolutely pursue the dispute settlement process.

"The EU has not been able to demonstrate nor justify why the use of [pathogen-reducing treatments] is not scientifically acceptable and why a politically expedient decision should be acceptable. Pursuing resolution of the issues through the WTO dispute settlement process may not only prove to restore U.S. poultry exports to the EU but, equally important, will promote and reinforce the critical WTO principles that address the international rules of trade and will provide for a more predictable and fairer opportunity for agricultural exports to participate in the world market."

"The National Restaurant Association is committed to being a part of the solution in helping Americans live healthier lives. We commend the New York City Board of Health for sharing our goal of helping customers identify healthier choices; however we differ on how the industry should ultimately achieve that goal.

"We appreciate that the New York City program is voluntary, however we believe that a more effective approach should include a national discussion and a comprehensive look at the many components of healthy living. The restaurant industry is highly sensitive to consumer desires and trends, and restaurants offer a wide variety of menu choices to meet individual dietary needs and tastes. To better serve consumers, the industry is committed to providing healthy choices and is working collaboratively with manufacturers, suppliers and health organizations to reduce sodium.

"The greatest long-term positive impact for healthier dining options lies with a better educated consumer. The [NRA] has worked in conjunction with more than 75 health organizations across the country as well as consumer advocacy groups, to support a national, uniform standard that would provide a wide range of nutrition information in chain restaurants--including sodium--to consumers.

"The National Restaurant Association is working with our members on a comprehensive approach to healthy living that is flexible for our diverse membership and positive for consumers.

"The Senate has made key improvements in its bill over the House-passed version. The health care reform package currently before the Senate demonstrates meaningful progress toward protecting jobs and small businesses while taking steps toward providing access to high-quality, affordable health care for Americans.

"We need to ensure that the final bill improves job creation and entrepreneurship, and does not weaken the improvements included in the Senate bill.

"The part-time worker exemption is of critical importance to our industry. As the nation's second-largest private sector employer, this recognition addresses the nature of our business model and is essential for our ability to continue to create the jobs that form the foundation of our economy. We applaud the provisions that protect small businesses, which are the backbone of our industry and the U.S. economy. As well, we are pleased that the legislation preserves the ERISA framework to allow larger, multi-state employers to continue to offer coverage.

"We very much appreciate the hard work of the many senators who have listened to and advocated for our concerns in this process. We will continue to work with the Senate, the House of Representatives and the administration to develop a solution that allows the industry to provide its employees meaningful benefits and supports our industry's ability to generate the economic growth and jobs our nation needs."

"The National Restaurant Association strongly supports Senator Mary Landrieu's amendment for a 90-day waiting period for employers in the Senate health care legislation. This pro-restaurant amendment would eliminate the onerous fees currently in the Senate bill for waiting periods of less than 90-days.

"Senator Landrieu's pro-small-business, pro-worker amendment will enable restaurant operators to provide our employees the highest quality benefits at the most affordable price. On behalf of the nation's nearly one million restaurants and its 13 million employees, we thank Senator Landrieu for her outstanding leadership.

"Due to the restaurant industry's average annual turnover rate of 75 percent of the workforce, a 90-day waiting period is critical. Restaurateurs want to offer affordable health coverage for our employees and lower the cost of that coverage. By allowing a 90-day waiting period, restaurant operators will be able to keep the cost lower for premiums of their employees that stay with the restaurant long-term.

"We strongly believe a 90-day waiting period before coverage requirements begin could have a significant impact on lowering health-care costs our restaurateurs provide their employees-- for both new and current employees. This reasonable waiting period will mitigate the resources spent to cover employees who have no intention of staying with the organization for an extended period of time.

"We are working hard in this debate to protect our industry and the men and women who work in it, and we truly appreciate Senator Landrieu's efforts on their behalf."