AICC Advocacy at Work

AICC’s Government Affairs subcommittee and AICC staff members oversee AICC’s participation in efforts to support legislation and administrative rules in Washington, D.C., that would be favorable overall to AICC members. Here is an example of the issues that AICC touches, through the topics of letters signed on to by AICC during fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024) starting with the most recent:

• June 12 to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Administrator Jessica Looman requesting a stay in the effective date of the new overtime rules.
• May 9 to Looman requesting a delay in the implementation of new salary guidelines for overtime.
• April 29 to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) supporting the repeal of the Corporate Transparency Act.
• March 19 to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee leadership requesting a delay of one year in the implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act.
• March 5 to U.S. House members in support of the Overtime Pay Flexibility Act to protect workers and employers from specific changes to overtime pay by DOL.
• January 19 to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer (D-N.Y.) urging passage of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.
• January 16 in support of National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) letter to the U.S. House Ways & Means and U.S. Senate Finance committees in support of a retroactive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization standard for deductibility going back to 2022 and extending through 2025.
• December 11 to Johnson and U.S. Rep. Randall “Randy” Feenstra (R-Iowa) in support of the Death Tax Repeal Act.
• November 8 to U.S. Senate and U.S. House leadership in support of delaying the Corporate Transparency Act.
• November 7 to DOL in support of the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity efforts to table or defeat the increase in minimum salary definitions for white-collar workers and the resulting increase in potential overtime pay.
• October 4, 2023, in support of the NAM’s letter to U.S. Senate and U.S. House leadership advocating for full research and development expenses to be deductible in the year in which they are incurred.
• September 28, 2023, in support of the Coalition for Tomorrow’s Workforce’s letter to U.S. House Ways & Means and U.S. Senate Finance committees advocating for adoption of the Invest for Tomorrow’s Workforce Act. This act would allow 529 education savings plan funds to be used for technical and trade schools.
• July 6, 2023, to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House authors in support of the Main Street Tax Certainty Act of 2023 to make permanent the 20% deduction for small and individually owned businesses (Section 199A).

In addition, AICC regularly shares information with members on many of these same issues:

• From the Small Business Legislative Council, AICC shares monthly alerts about what is going on in Congress that may be of interest to small businesses.
• From the S-Corporation of America, whenever they issue a communication, AICC sends to members.
• From the Council of Manufacturing Associations, a division of NAM, whenever they issue a communication, AICC sends to members.

AICC also liaises with related industry advocates:

• Corrugated Packaging Alliance: life cycle analysis and sustainability actions.
• Paper & Packaging Board: Sustainability toolkit and promotion of the Box to Nature program.
• American Forest and Paper Association: monthly extended producer responsibility (EPR) update Zoom meetings to stay abreast of state-by-state developments on EPR. 

While AICC’s advocacy is not always successful, the voice of the independent is always heard. 

Eric Elgin is owner of Oklahoma Interpak and chairman of AICC’s Government Affairs subcommittee. He can be reached at 918-687-1681 or eric@okinterpak.com.