Nearly 600 industry leaders from 42 states and Puerto Rico visited Capitol Hill the third week of March for the National Restaurant Association 2019 Public Affairs Conference, where they educated elected officials about how action taken in Congress can benefit – or negatively impact – the industry. Industry leaders gave representatives and senators updates on key industry policies and also called on Congress to tackle issues impacting the U.S. restaurant sector. These include addressing the qualified improvement property error made in the 2017 tax bill; sharing the industry’s perspective on strengthening border security while facilitating travel, tourism and a clear path to legalization for workers – as well as essential worker and employment verification systems; and taking a “balanced approach” to the minimum wage debate.