Washington and You!

Posted 10/12/2009
By Earl Dohner, AAM, Chairman

In late July I was able to attend ASA's Capitol Hill Fly-In. There I was again in a position to witness firsthand what happens when you take the time and effort to step up to the plate and get involved in what is important to our industry. It was my honor and privilege to participate in this event with my fellow ASA members.

It had been a few years since ASA organized such an effort on the Hill. In April 2002, ASA had a convention in Washington, D.C., and we took the time to meet with our government representatives at the federal level. History will record that the endeavor was good for our industry.

This recent Capitol Hill event was primarily focused on current collision-repair issues and was a very good display of what ASA can do through the unified voice of its members.

We need to do more of this to improve our industry and the country we live in. Bob Redding, ASA's Washington, D.C., representative, has the experience and understanding of how things work on the Hill, and he has worked hard to develop professional relationships with our country's policymakers. We, as members, need to step up and "do it!" when opportunities such as this present themselves - exactly what many recently did.

There are many valuable points of consideration regarding ASA's 2009 Fly-In event. First, repairers attended from across the United States to share a common message on Capitol Hill. Second, this was extremely effective, in part due to members meeting with ASA leaders and staff prior to the Capitol Hill meetings to discuss meeting format, policy messages and training. Third, I'm pleased to also report that the Fly-In exceeded ASA's participation goals.

On the legislative front, on any given day, ASA has provided three important avenues for advocacy in Washington, D.C.:

• A voice in Washington 24/7 through ASA's full-time legislative representative,

• A comprehensive legislative Web site for repairers to use to communicate to their members of Congress or state policymakers on issues that matter to us as repair professionals, and

• ASA's Political Action Committee (ASA PAC). The ASA PAC provides a mechanism for the automotive repair industry to contribute to political candidates.

So, as you can see, the recent Capitol Hill Fly-In served as just one more tool ASA provided for you - the repair professional - to communicate directly with policymakers. My hope is that we can do this every year. It was a great experience for all involved.

Next stop, Las Vegas! I look forward to seeing you at CARS and NACE! Be sure to stop by the ASA booth (N8601) to say hello!