To help hotels bring back employees who were let go during the pandemic, the American Hotel & Lodging Association and labor union Unite Here have come together with a U.S. senator and representative to propose new legislation to Congress.

The proposed bill, titled the Save Hotel Jobs Act, was introduced to Congress by Democrats Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida.

The goal of the Save Hotel Jobs Act is to "save millions of hotel jobs," AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers said on a webinar Wednesday to discuss the proposed bill.

The hotel industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic. As a result, it isn't expected to fully recover until the end of 2023, Rogers said. Urban hotels were affected the most, with nearly 200 hotels closing permanently in New York City.

This bill would work in tandem with the Hospitality Jobs Recovery Act to help the industry recover from the pandemic, which is focused on getting people traveling again, he said.

While some hotels have brought some employees back due to favorable leisure demand, Rogers said the industry cannot survive with leisure alone and needs business to return to bring more people back.

Crist said the proposed legislation is targeted at hotel workers because "you don't have a business if you don't have hotel workers."

Rogers said the airlines and restaurants have had assistance in recovering jobs, so now it's time to help hotels.

D. Taylor, president of Unite Here, said 98% of its members were laid off at the height of the pandemic, and 60% to 70% are still out of work.

Of those who are unemployed, he said people of color were the most affected by the pandemic. The proposed bill is aimed at getting them back to work.

Some people have found other jobs or are still on unemployment and might be worried about whether a job back in a hotel would be sustainable, Taylor said. People want to return to the job they had with the assurance that it will be there tomorrow, he said.

"I call it a smart insurance policy for both the industry and the workers in those communities we say we need to uplift and get jobs because, candidly, though the unemployment rate nationally is at 6.2%, in this industry, it's well into the double-digits," he said.

Taylor added that "jobs should not be a partisan issue."

Rogers agreed, adding that this is a "unique moment for our industry" that sends a "loud, powerful message to Congress on both sides of the aisle."