AUSTIN (KXAN) --- This week, Texas lawmakers convened from across the state for the start of the 89th Legislative Session. This marks the beginning of five months for passing new bills. Thousands of bills have already been filed by legislators for this session. Topics ranged from education to border issues. Not far from the Capitol, a restaurant in east Austin wants to see a focus on the restaurant sector as well. Owner of Industry, Harlan Scott, said he hopes the legislature addresses credit card swipe fees. Scott said those fees eat up 3% of his revenue. "I struggle to keep my lights on. I struggle to pay my staff, and then every dollar that I produce, I have to give up a portion of that. I think this is a very easy, bipartisan thing."Harlan Scott, Industry Restaurant Owner 'Help them invest' Credit card swipe fees are top of mind for the Texas Restaurant Association as well. It plans on taking that issue to lawmakers this session. "We call them hidden fees, because you don't see them on your receipt when you check out. You don't see them on your credit card statement, but they're built into the price of every single good and service that we as consumers purchase in Texas," said TRA Chief Public Affairs Officer Kelsey Erickson Streufert. Streufert said restaurants still struggle post-pandemic. She said 38% of operators were not profitable last year, and more than half still carry debt they took on to survive the pandemic. "Really making sure that our policy makers know what our restaurants are feeling and what policy changes could really help them invest in their business and their employees and in their communities."Kelsey Erickson Streufert, TRA Chief Public Affairs Officer Some of the TRA's goals this legislative session include: Protect restaurants from harmful legislation Save restaurants money Strengthen the workforce Improve restaurant resiliency Within those goals, the TRA outlined specific reforms and improvements to focus on. When it comes to saving restaurants money, the TRA wants reforms on credit card swipe fees, property taxes, appraisal rules and state and local permits. "Where there's duplication or sort of fees on top of fees, we think we could take a look at that," Streufert said. The TRA said it would also like to strengthen the workforce by improving childcare, education initiatives and second chance hiring initiatives. Past advocacy changes The TRA said last legislative cycle it had a 100% success rate blocking "harmful legislation." The association said it worked in a bipartisan, collaborative way to deliver 70 wins in 70 days. Some of their changes included: Repealing duplicative permit fees Prohibiting local governments from mandating predictive scheduling Making sure online privacy laws do not block restaurant websites, loyalty programs, third-party reservation and delivery platforms The TRA said last session, it testified 22 times before a legislative committee and sent more than 2,800 emails to lawmakers on TRA priorities.