ECA Advocacy Update: June 7, 2024
1. ECA Legislative Action Day recap |
On May 30, more than 130 business events industry leaders and advocates met with policymakers on Capitol Hill as part of ECA Legislative Action Day (LAD)!
By the numbers: This was the industry's largest presence on Capitol Hill ever!
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- LAD attendees from 25 states held 112 meetings with Congressional offices.
- Registration was up more than 60% year-over-year, and attendance was nearly 20% higher than 2019's Exhibitions Day, the previous record holder.
- #ECALAD social media posts have been liked, shared, and commented on more than 5,100 times.
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The big picture: LAD 2024 focused on two of ECA’s top public policy priorities: helping the industry attract and train its next generation workforce and further reducing visa wait times for would-be international exhibitors and attendees.
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- Helping the industry attract and train its next generation workforce. 👷♀️
- Reducing visa wait times for international exhibitors and attendees. 🌍
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ECA's view: “As we have seen in recent months, when our industry shows up and advocates together with one voice, we can drive policy change that positively impacts all of us going forward,” said Vinnie Polito, ECA’s Co-President and Society of Independent Show Organizers CEO.
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Thank you to our industry partners for their support. ECA Legislative Action Day would not be possible with their generous support.
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2. Pell Grant legislation gets another path |
On the heels of LAD, House Education & Workforce Committee Chair Elise Stefanik and Ranking Member Bobby Scott filed their Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act as an amendment to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Why it matters: The NDAA is a "must pass" piece of legislation annually, which makes it a popular vehicle to amend with other bills with broad bipartisan support.
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- The House Rules Committee received 1,316 proposed NDAA amendments!
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Our thought bubble: The NDAA provides one more legislative pathway for the expansion of the Pell Grant program to cover skilled workforce training.
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- ECA has no preference how Pell Grant expansion passes Congress, only that it gets done this year.
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3. ECA heading to ESCA later this month |
Our thought bubble: The NDAA provides one more legislative pathway for the expansion of the Pell Grant program to cover skilled workforce training.
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- On Tuesday, June 25, ECA will be part of a panel talking about the new Exhibitions Industry Collective and the latest on workforce development, health and safety, and sustainability.
- On Wednesday, June 26, ECA will be talking about the 2024 elections and what it means for ESCA members, their companies, and the industry at-large.
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To learn more about the ESCA Summer Educational Conference click here.
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4. In case you missed it... |
- Skift Meetings provided an update on ECA's visa wait time advocacy.
- Trade Show Executive recapped ECA's appearance at April's SISO CEO Summit with Nancy Walsh, Yancy Weinrich, and Walter Charnizon.
- USAE News highlighted ICCA joining ECA last month.
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The Texas delegation celebrates winning the first ECA Legislative Action Day Capitol Hill scavenger hunt!
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Thomas F. (Tommy) Goodwin
Vice President
tommy.goodwin@exhibitionsconferencesalliance.org
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