This week, IAAPA’s North American Government Relations
Subcomittee will be on Capitol Hill for its annual Advocacy Day (the name is
actually something of a misnomer, since it actually takes place over two days). On Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24-25,
twenty-three members of the committee (including me) as well as invited guests
from other IAAPA committees and members of the industry, will be meeting with
elected officials in the House and Senate, their staffs, the Commissioner of
the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and other government officials to
communicate the industry’s interests to those that shape federal policy. In all, we have scheduled thirty-six
legislative meetings, including meetings with seventeen members of
Congress, in only two days.
This year, IAAPA’s Government Relations Department, as well
as the North American Government Relations Subcommittee, is asking for your
help to make Advocacy Day 2015 an even bigger success than it usually is. In addition to our physical presence on the
Hill this week, we are asking you to take part in the first-ever Virtual Advocacy Day! What’s that, you ask? Well, while we are meeting face-to-face with
members of Congress and other policy-makers in Washington, we want you to take
to social media with the hashtag “#IAAPAVAD”
to amplify the messages that Advocacy Day attendees are bringing to DC. Tweet your Senators! Tweet your Representatives! Tweet the CPSC, the State Department, the
Transportation Department, the FAA! Show
them that you care about the industry and the issues that affect it.
So, what are the issues that we will be addressing over the
next few days and how can you help? Well, keep reading to find out more about our priority issues and how you can contact your representatives and policy makers.