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| Government Relations
Government
Relations Committee Mission: Top Issues
The DTMA Government Relations Committee periodically reviews and prioritizes issues facing the manufacturing industry which can be addressed through advocacy activities. Current top issues are:
In these turbulent times, we are afforded few opportunities to speak directly with our elected officials. The Legislative Conference is your opportunity to have direct input on those legislative issues that impact your company on a daily basis. Your attendance is needed at the 2008 NTMA Legislative Conference to be held June 10 and 11, L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington, D.C. In these turbulent times, we are afforded few opportunities to speak directly with our elected officials. The Legislative Conference is your opportunity to have direct input on those legislative issues that impact your company on a daily basis. Access is power and direct access to our elected officials at this level is generally only available at substantial cost. If we expect our elected officials to be strong advocates for our industry, it is critically important that we use these opportunities to make our voice heard. Your comments from the “front lines” provide our elected officials with the essential information necessary to move our legislative agenda forward. The cost and time commitment are nominal, but the potential impact on our industry is substantial. DTMA members may attend at the NTMA member rate, and if you register by April 25, you get a $200 discount. The conference begins on Tuesday, June 10, featuring in-depth briefings with policy experts and administration officials. The following morning, participants will gather for a kick-off breakfast with an address by a member of Congress. DTMA members spend the remainder of the day on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers. This is a well-run event, organized by NTMA’s lobby firm, Waterman and Associates. They do all the work – schedule appointments, tell you where to go, and prep you with all the information you need when speaking with our lawmakers. Our goal is to have 10 member companies represented at this year’s conference. Won’t you join us? For registration instructions, contact Cindy Reeves at or (937) 512-3862 or Dan Turben at (937) 286-9336. See you in Washington! NTMA’s
Legislature Letter Writing Program Here
are the basics of NTMA’s Legislature Letter Writing Program.
It’s an easy-to-use, five-step process: 1. Access the website.
The letter program is operated through the NTMA website (www.ntma.org)
and you can get to it through DTMA’s home page at www.dtma.org.
ANYONE can go to the site
and participate. On the
first page of the either website, you will see a picture of the Capitol
building with a small box next to it.
Put your zip code in the box and click on the word,
"go" next to it. 2. Select the letter you
want to send. A page
will open listing the representative(s), two senators and the
President's email and mailing info for your zip code. Also
listed is a series of "Action Alerts" giving information about
legislation that can help the industry. When
bills are coming up for a vote, there will be letters attached to the
alerts. 3. Send the letter via
email. All you have to
do is fill in your personal info, click, and it's sent. If
you want to edit the letter or write your own, it is easy to do. 4. Print the letter and
mail via U.S. Postal Service. Because
there are 2.5 million e-mails a week sent to Congress, they will be
counted but may not be read. Therefore,
in addition to emailing the letter, please print a hard copy of the
letter on your company stationary. 5. Copy the letter for
your employees, family, friends, and vendors.
Additionally, please make copies for your employees, friends,
family and vendors to send as well. We're
all in the same boat, and the more letters they get, the better chance
we have to make a difference. Elected officials pay attention to numbers, and the key to the program is to get hundreds of letters sent at the same time on the same subject. As of this writing, there are four alerts and three letters, ready to be sent. These bills are getting ready for a vote and we need to make sure they feel their political life will be impacted if they don't support small manufacturing. Send your letters now!
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