Highlights from the Week
All photo credits: Dave McIntosh Photographics
ACA Fall Meetings + Advocacy Day
The week of September 14, ACA brought the paint and coatings industry to Washington in force. Over three days, ACA hosted a PaintCare collection event across the street from the Senate, set the association’s policy direction for the year ahead, and carried the industry’s priorities into more than 75 congressional offices on Capitol Hill.
It was a week of firsts: the first PaintCare Capitol Curbside Collection Event for leftover paint, the inaugural meetings of ACA’s restructured Committees, ACA’s first-ever Advocacy Day, and our inaugural PaintPAC reception. Our members sent a clear message to lawmakers of both parties: the coatings industry protects, preserves, provides and powers the things America depends on.
Monday, September 14
PaintCare Comes to Capitol Hill
ACA and PaintCare opened the week with the first-ever PaintCare Capitol Curbside Collection Event, setting up across from the Hart Senate Office Building so members of Congress and their staff could recycle leftover latex and oil-based paint while learning more about how the paint industry provides a simple, convenient, and responsible product stewardship solution for consumers through PaintCare’s program operations. The event drew many Hill staffers, as well as locals, who were eager to learn about industry’s remarkable environmental leadership.
Tuesday, September 15
Setting the Industry's Agenda
On Tuesday, ACA members got to work on the association’s direction. A full day of meetings of ACA’s new Standing Committees and several subcommittees brought ACA members together to shape ACA’s policy priorities, covering sustainability and the environment, government affairs, supplier issues and more.
These sessions are where the industry’s positions take shape. Members compared what they are seeing in their own businesses and communities, weighed emerging regulatory and legislative issues, and agreed on a unified vision to carry to Capitol Hill the next day. Notably, the midday Government Affairs & Regulatory Affairs Committee Luncheon for all attendees, featured a prep and pep talk for taking our unified industry message and asks to Congress, as well as Washington insight from ACA’s federal lobbyists at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
The day closed with a networking reception where ACA members mingled and unified around the industry’s role in growing and protecting America, from the coatings that keep bridges standing to the paints that protect and brighten American homes.
Wednesday, September 16
ACA’s First Ever Advocacy Day
On Wednesday, September 16, more than 100 paint and coatings industry leaders participated in ACA’s first-ever Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. This event provided ACA members with the unique opportunity to engage directly with policymakers and spotlight the coatings industry’s countless contributions to our economy, our nation’s workforce, critical sectors and industries, the built environment, and our shared sustainability goals.
Before heading to the Hill, members heard from Anna Palmer, co-founder and CEO of Punchbowl News, on the political landscape heading into the November midterms and what it means for the coatings industry. Her briefing gave members a clear read on the dynamics in the House and Senate and the issues most likely to move before year’s end.
Over the course of the day, ACA members met with more than 75 congressional offices representing more than 25 states. Our asks were straightforward:
- Ensure American manufacturing and a secure supply chain . Advance policies that help American manufacturers grow, invest and compete.
- Make housing more affordable. Break down the barriers that drive up the cost of building and maintaining homes.
- Invest in American infrastructure. Protect and extend the life of the roads, bridges and systems the country relies on.
- Ground policy decisions in science. Prioritize sound science-based regulatory decisions that give businesses clarity and certainty to enable technologies and chemistries that allow America to innovate and grow.
The week concluded with the inaugural PaintPAC reception and dinner, where members heard from Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). Speaking from both sides of the aisle and chambers, they underscored the importance of the coatings industry to America’s economy and its continued growth.
Thank You to ACA’s Advocacy Day Sponsors
ACA thanks Orr & Boss and BYK for sponsoring the events surrounding Advocacy Day last week! Orr & Boss sponsored ACA’s Government Affairs Briefing on Tuesday, which helped prepare members for Wednesday’s meetings with policymakers, and BYK sponsored ACA’s Board Breakfast on Thursday.
Thank you to both organizations for helping ACA bring together coatings industry stakeholders and leaders during this important week.
