GRA Weekly

May 26, 2022

This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner, Gas South.

STATE PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS

Georgia Primary Election Results

On Tuesday, May 25, Georgia held its Primary Elections. There was much anticipation on the results for a multitude of reasons: Who would win the nominations? How strong is former President Donald Trump's influence? What would the voter turnout be? Would there be any surprises? In short, the surprise was that there were few surprises on the higher profile races with many finishing without the need for a runoff. Below are results as of May 25, 2022. You can see the full results on the GA Secretary of State's Website. REMINDER: The runoff is on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Visit My Voter Page for more information.

Summary:

Federal | Senate

Herschel Walker defeated Georgia Ag Commissioner Gary Black and others with 68.21% of the vote. He will face incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock in the General Election.

Governor

Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp defeated former Senator David Perdue with 73.71% of the vote. He will face Stacey Abrams in a re-match from 2018 in the General Election.

Lieutenant Governor

Republican: State Senator Burt Jones has a lead over State Senate President Pro Tempore Butch Miller. Currently with 50.08%, Burt Jones would win the nomination without the need of a runoff.
Democrat: Former Congressman and Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall will be in a runoff. Unless anything changes, Charlie Bailey would be the other challenger.

Secretary of State

Republican: Incumbent Brad Raffensperger won the nomination with 52.33% of the vote.
Democrat: State Representative Bee Nguyen led the field with 44.19% of the vote. She will face former State Representative Dee Dawkins-Haigler in the June 21 runoff.

WIND DOWN BY THE RIVER

Please join us on the banks of the Chattahoochee River for Wind Down by the River, a special reception in support of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant Political Action Committee and the GRA PAC*.

Through your attendance and support, we are able to reach candidates who will advance a pro-restaurant pro-business legislative agenda, fight onerous legislation and address the issues that are most important to YOU.

Tuesday, June 7 | 5:00PM - 7:00PM

FEDERAL UPDATES

80/20 Tipped Employees Rule

On December 28, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) restored the 80/20 Tipped Employees Rule as well as expanded its scope to include limiting side work to 30 consecutive minutes (the “80/20 Rule”). The Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and its regulations issued by the DOL allow for employers to take a credit against their minimum wage obligations if an employee regularly receives tips (“Tip Credit”). InPrime Legal has reviewed, analyzed the reinstated, and expanded 80/20 Rule to provide an informative FAQ to ensure compliance with the updated 80/20 Rule.

Proposed Legislation Could Help Ease Labor Shortage

In a recent Association webinar, Angelo Amador, Exec. Dir. of the Restaurant Law Center, laid out how the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement legislation would produce a steady stream of year-round workers to help alleviate labor challenges that have forced some restaurants to cut hours of service and led to supply-chain bottlenecks. Read the webinar recap.

Senate Fails to Replenish RRF

Unable to reach an agreement on how to pay for legislation that would have replenished the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), the Senate last Thursday voted against debating the Small Business COVID-19 Relief Act of 2022 (S. 4008). With support from 52 senators, the legislation, which was introduced by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Small Business Committee Chair, and Roger Wicker (R-MS), fell short of the 60-vote threshold needed to advance. Read the Association’s statement here.

What this means for restaurants: Even though the House passed legislation that would replenish the RRF, the Senate’s failure to do so essentially marks the end of congressional activity on RRF replenishment. Sadly, 177,000 restaurants that were promised but never received RRF grants last year are left with nothing.

ALCOHOL TRAINING

Monitoring and Preventing Alcohol-Related Incidents in Restaurants

Before topping off that extra glass, here are some things your servers and staff should know about safe alcohol service:

Rights of refusing service to intoxicated guests
How to politely cut customers off
How to prevent intoxicated driving
Appropriate communication with intoxicated guests
When to involve a manager

Protect yourself and your business with responsible alcohol training. Use the code SERVITUP to save 20% on ServSafe Alcohol training and exam.

Read this helpful guide to educate your servers and staff on how to identify issues and prevent alcohol-related incidents.

DOL FMLA MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

US DOL Wage & Hour Division releases new FMLA mental health resources

The Wage and Hour Division offers educational materials to aid in compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, and new resources have been developed for workers, worker advocates, employers, and their representatives:

For more information on the Family and Medical Leave Act and the other laws WHD enforces, please visit their website.

STATE ALCOHOL LAW REMINDERS

Georgia Alcohol Law Reminders

In Georgia, the business of making, distributing, selling, etc. alcohol is a privilege. It is important for everyone to follow the rules to help protect this privilege. Below are some reminders of recently passed alcohol laws:

Mixed Drinks To-Go: Legalized on the state level, but local governments may choose to opt out. If permitted, remember the drinks must be made by an employee, sold with food, must be in an approved container, and more. Read more about it here.
Alcohol Delivery: Legalized on the state level, but local governments may choose to opt out If permitted, restaurants can would only be able to engage in package Beer and Wine for delivery. In addition, drivers must complete an approved training program. Get more information here.