Compromise on regulatory reform and applying common sense were the key themes I saw at this year’s WDMA Legislative Conference, held March 27-28 in Washington, D.C. Recognizing that imposed regulations over the past two decades have been somewhat taxing for businesses, workers and taxayers, the organization unveiled recommendations that aim to improve the regulatory process so that it works for all parties involved.
Even though this year’s conference had a slightly different feel and approach as noted above, the actual asks were similar to years past. More than ever, recommendations were based on common sense and would require less aisle crossing than previous years.
Among the “low-hanging fruit,” are The Energy Savings and Building Efficiency Act and tackling reformation of the EPA’s Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP). Both have a broad base of support and, in their current form, would be relatively simple bills to implement.
The View from Here is that if this Congress is motivated to start getting things done, these and a few other regulatory reform measures would be a great place to start. Once again, the WDMA did an excellent job of outlining federal issues that are having the greatest impact on our industry and organizing an event that gets us closer to our federal representatives.
As we move forward, it’s more critical than ever for our voices to be heard on important issues. We all need to stay aware and stay involved.
What’s your View? Email me directly at eric.jackson@quanex.com.