Six Public Policy Committee members from the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS® ) the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America (WMMA) called on the offices of twelve DC legislators and committee staff on June 22, 2022 to encourage support for apprenticeships and workforce development legislation.
The group’s focus included the Employer Directed Skills Act (H.R. 6255), and the Creating Opportunities to Thrive and Advance Act (H.R. 8195). The group also expressed the importance of prioritizing WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act) reauthorization, which will likely take place in 2023. The group is hopeful that the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021 and the JOBS Act (S. 864/H.R. 2037) will be incorporated into the Competitiveness bill (USICA/COMPETES), which is currently in Conference Committee, but apprenticeship is unlikely to be included because it was not in the Senate version of the bill.
Fly-In participants met with Senate and House offices on both sides of the aisle
In each virtual meeting during the 2022 virtual fly-in, participants stressed their interest in developing long-term relationships with their representatives, inviting them to visit facilities in their districts in the future, and using AWFS and WMMA as resources on issues related to the wood industry and workforce development. The meetings allowed constituents to meet directly with their representatives and included the offices of: Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT).
In addition to individual Congressional Member offices, groups met with lead Majority staff from the Senate HELP (Healthcare, Education, Labor and Pension) committee, which oversees career technical education and workforce development legislation, and the House counterpart, the Education and Labor Committee. The committee meetings provided insight into the focus for these topics in the coming months.
AWFS and WMMA members met with Representative Andy Levin during the Virtual DC Fly-In on June 22, 2022.
Virtual Fly-In is Efficient
This is the second annual “virtual fly-in” experience for the AWFS Public Policy Committee. While different from a traditional in-person DC fly-in event, it was a productive experience and a straightforward process using Zoom software. Without having to schedule extra time to physically walk between offices and navigate the current security environment on Capitol Hill, more appointments could be scheduled. Many of the same elements from an in-person fly-in carried over to the virtual environment, such as how to communicate our legislative message as a team and how to prepare and deliver follow-up communication and information.
AWFS® thanks the following Public Policy Committee members and WMMA Committee members for participating in the 2022 virtual DC fly-in:
Bob Brown, Royal Plywood (and Chair, AWFS® Public Policy Committee)
Karl Frey, Colonial Saw
John Otto, DMT Holdings
Christina Relyea, JB Cutting
John Schultz, Super Thin Saws (WMMA)
Jamison Scott, Air Handling Systems (WMMA Committee Chair)
See a summary of AWFS’ 2022 fly-in message here.
Interested in learning more about AWFS Public Policy efforts? Contact Education Director Adria Salvatore: adria@awfs.org