NAW E-ALERT Legislative Grassroots Program
TO: Select Member Association Executives
FROM: Jim Anderson
NAW Vice President-Government Relations
Little if anything affects the thinking of a Member of Congress on a legislative issue like a barrage of communications from real constituents – the “folks back home.” “Home” is the principal stage on which U.S. Senators and Representatives stand – those “folks back home” to which Members of Congress “play” are, after all, the voters who will at the next election decide their political fate. So when an issue that will for better or for worse affect your member companies and ours is at a critical stage in the legislative process, our ability to generate that barrage of communications from our businessmen and women who are the “folks back home” is, in a word, critical to our ability to achieve the desired outcome.
Ironically, for all the talk about the “snail’s pace” of the legislative process in Washington, D.C., things can and often do move at lightening speed – usually when you don’t want them to! Consequently, we need to be able to communicate with our grassroots universe virtually instantaneously for the related purposes of educating them about the substance and status of an important piece of legislation and activating them to communicate with their U.S. Senators and/or Representative at literally a moment’s notice.
That is precisely what the NAW Legislative E-Alert Program – our electronic grassroots system which incorporates Senator/Representative identification capability with direct communication functionality – is designed to do. Through E-Alert we provide thousands of grassroots contacts with accurate and up-to-date information in time to enable them to make a real difference – and make the wholesale distribution industry’s presence felt in a very visible, measurable way, on Capitol Hill.
Here’s how E-Alert works: with the approval of co-sponsoring associations, we transmit directly to your member companies an e-mail message “pushing” them to on-line background information and talking points posted on the NAW website. Here, your members would be able to identify their Senator(s) or Representative, construct a letter to their Federal legislator(s), and electronically transmit that communication. Each time we direct a “push” e-mail to your members you will receive an e-mail of the exact content for your information.
This would be accomplished without requiring the time, effort, energy or financial resources of your association.
NAW has for many years been identified as a leader in the world of grassroots lobbying. Your support of an ever stronger, cutting-edge NAW grassroots capability is critical to our staying there as a key component of our government relations strategy that achieves positive outcomes for wholesaler-distributors. Please let us know whether you wish to participate in the NAW E-Alert Program by completing the attached RESPONSE FORM and returning it by the close-of-business on Friday, March 16th to Joy Goldman. (If you have any questions you want answered before deciding, just check the appropriate box on the form.)
Many thanks.
NAW Legislative E-Alert Program FORM:
Please return to:
Joy Goldman
NAW Government Relations
FAX: 202-296-5940
jgoldman@naw.org
___ YES ... I want our association to participate in your Legislative E-Alert Program.
___ We may be interested, but I have some questions. Please call me.
___ NO ... We are not interested.
- PLEASE PRINT -
NAME:
ASSOCIATION:
PHONE:
NAW - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
2/10/12
TO: NAW Member Association Execs
FROM: Jade West
NAW Senior Vice President-Government Relations
Feel free to share this information with your members...
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Recently the EEOC initiated a process to revise their long-standing guidance with respect to employers’ use of criminal background checks in screening job applicants, raising concerns in the business community that the Commission will issue new guidance imposing new and unworkable restrictions on the use of those background checks. NAW joined with a coalition of other business groups on a letter to the EEOC urging that they carefully evaluate the issues and that they conduct a fair and open process to allow input from impacted stakeholders. To read the coalition letter, go to:
http://www.naw.org/files/EEOCletter.pdf
Health and Human Services (HHS):
Two of the key features of the "Affordable Care Act" ("ObamaCare") enacted in 2010 are the requirements that beginning in 2014 everyone in the United States have health insurance and that employers with 50 or more employees offer heath coverage to their workers. Health plans for individuals and small businesses must include "essential health benefits" (EHB) which fall in 10 categories, and the Federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a bulletin in December of 2011 providing guidance to the states for determining EHB packages. NAW joined with our colleagues on the Steering Committee of the Essential Health Benefits Coalition in comments detailing specific concerns with the HHS bulletin and offering recommendations to address the affordability of the final EHB regulation which is expected from HHS later this year. To view our comments, go to:
http://www.naw.org/files/HHScomments.pdf
Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP):
Last December OFCCP issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to create a new affirmative action hiring goal for individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the proposed rule would require all Federal contractors with contracts of $10,000 or more to set a goal of having 7% of their workers in each job category be individuals with disabilities, with a possible secondary goal that 2% of the workers be individuals with severe disabilities. Employers would be encouraged to invite job applicants to voluntarily self-describe as disabled, possibly putting the employers at risk of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibition against asking if a job applicant is disabled. NAW has filed a comment letter with OFCCP in response to this proposed rule, and is working with our coalition partners to get the rule modified. To read our comments, go to:
http://www.naw.org/files/DOLcomments.pdf
Many thanks.
NAW - Jade West - NAW Senior Vice President-Government Relations
1/4/11
TO: NAW Direct Members
FROM: Jade West - NAW Senior Vice President-Government Relations
Two quick start-of-the-year reminders that will be of particular interest to the fleet, transportation and/or operations managers of wholesale distribution companies; first:
Today (January 3, 2011), new federal regulations go into effect prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMV) in interstate commerce. According to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, “Drivers who violate the restriction will face federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense and disqualification from operating a commercial motor vehicle for multiple offenses.” Further, employers “that allow their drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving will face a maximum penalty of $11,000.” To view this new rule promulgated by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), go to:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/rulemakings/final/Mobile_phone_NFRM.pdf
To review a helpful FMCSA document titled “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)–Ban on Hand Held Cellular Phones,” go to: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/other/faq/cellphone-ban-faqs.aspx
As you know, the new regulation follows the promulgation in September 2010 by FMCSA and last February by PHMSA of regulations banning texting by drivers operating CMVs. To view the texting ban rule which went into effect on October 27, 2010, go to:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-23861.htm
Second, on July 1, 2013, changes to the federal Hours of Service regulations will go into effect. (The Hours of Service regulation’s new definition of “on-duty time” will go into effect somewhat earlier – on February 27, 2012.) In addition to the on-duty time definition, the new Hours of Service regulations affect rest breaks and the 34-hour re-start period. To view the new Hours of Service rule and/or several helpful documents related to it, please go to the FMCSA website at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/
To see a summary of the differences between the current HOS Rule and the new HOS final rule, go to:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos-final/hos-final-rule.aspx
Many thanks.
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