The Hardwood Federation produces a “D.C. Cheat Sheet” publication to maintain the trade up-to-date on the most recent information from Washington D.C. Try the August twenty fifth version beneath and enroll to obtain your copy as we speak.

August Recess in Full Swing

Federal lawmakers at the moment are at house for his or her conventional August work interval. As a reminder, if you happen to see your federal officers at a public or personal occasion, listed below are 4 key messages you possibly can ship to help the Hardwood Federation’s efforts on the federal degree:

Develop Markets for Hardwood Merchandise. We search alternatives to construct markets and add worth to hardwood merchandise.

• Wooden Merchandise are A part of the Local weather Answer. With the federal authorities placing a local weather twist on virtually each coverage that takes form, inform your lawmakers to maintain wooden merchandise of their toolbox. Hardwood flooring, lumber, and different merchandise retailer carbon and forestall its launch into the environment. Lawmakers can not hear this message typically sufficient. Delivering it repeatedly will make it possible for the trade will get credited, as a substitute of penalized, by local weather insurance policies shifting on the federal degree.
• Defend and Develop Worldwide Markets. The hardwood sector is a robust exporter of merchandise “Made within the USA” and depends on international clients to help prime quality jobs at house. To that finish, remind your lawmakers of the significance of elevated funding for the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s Market Entry Program (MAP) and the Overseas Market Growth (FMD) Program which help U.S. hardwood exports.

Oppose Tax Hikes that Hurt American Hardwood Corporations. It’s necessary to speak the advantages of the small enterprise tax deduction and the versatile property tax provisions included inside the tax reform regulation of 2017 and oppose any efforts to roll them again.

Repair the Driver Scarcity. Fortuitously, the “Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act” enacted final yr addressed among the challenges associated to the motive force scarcity. Regardless of this progress, federal coverage makers can do extra. This contains passage of the LICENSE Act (HR 6567 and S. 3556) which might assist expedite the issuing of economic driver’s licenses.  Ask your lawmakers to cosponsor these necessary payments to assist the trade.

Assist Needed. Repair the Employee Scarcity. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has launched the “Employer Directed Expertise Act” (H.R. 6255) to alleviate the employee scarcity. The invoice seeks to fill the hole between employer wants and worker abilities by making present workforce improvement packages extra employer pleasant and versatile. Urge your Home lawmaker to hitch as a cosponsor.

Supply: Hardwood Federation