Campground owners and operators from 26 states traveled to Capitol Hill as part of an IHO advocacy fly-in focused on urging Congress to advance the Credit Card Competition Act, legislation supporters say would increase competition in the credit card processing market and address rising transaction fees faced by small businesses.
The effort brought together OHI’s advocacy team and 17 campground owners and operators representing outdoor hospitality businesses across the country.
Participants included Bobbi Jo Beyersdorf, Andrew Confer, Kimberlie Cook, Rafael Correa, Mike Gurevich, Mike Harrison, Chris Houghton, Jeffrey Miller, Jen Molesworth, Jonathan Mueller, Zack Prescott, Cathy Reinard, Kale Streeter, Sean Vidrine, Phil Upton and Gene Zanger.
The Credit Card Competition Act is bipartisan legislation sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. The bill would require the two largest credit card networks, Visa and Mastercard, to provide merchants with a choice of at least two unaffiliated payment processing networks.
Supporters of the measure argue that the change would introduce greater competition and transparency into a market they say is currently dominated by a small number of companies. OHI representatives used meetings on Capitol Hill to communicate the impact of credit card processing costs on campground operators and other outdoor hospitality businesses.
Sean Vidrine, owner of Four Points RV Resorts in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and chair of the OHI Advocacy Work Group, said increasing costs are making it more difficult for campground owners to maintain affordable vacation options for consumers.
“Family camping has always been the most affordable option for vacation but with credit card fees and other costs continuing to rise with no ability for campground owners to negotiate these fees, it’s making it harder and harder for us to maintain that affordability,” Vidrine said in a press release.
“That why I am in DC with OHI this week demanding that Congress act and give this bill the vote that small businesses and the camping consumers deserve,” he added.
According to OHI, the organization has advocated for the legislation through its involvement with the Merchants Payments Coalition. Over the past two years, OHI said it has brought more than 75 member outdoor hospitality businesses to Washington, D.C., to support the proposal.
The association said swipe fees, which are charged when consumers use credit cards, cost U.S. businesses tens of billions of dollars annually. OHI contends that those costs are frequently passed on to consumers through higher prices and that limited competition in the payment processing market has allowed fees to continue increasing.
“Credit card swipe fees are one of the largest expenses outdoor hospitality businesses face, and they only keep rising,” said David Basler, OHI’s chief strategy officer and senior vice president of government affairs.
“The Credit Card Competition Act is a common-sense fix that brings fairness and real competition back to the market, and we’re here this week to make sure Congress hears that message directly from the small business owners feeling it most,” Basler said.