WASHINGTON – Advocating on behalf of the convenience and fuel retailing industry is at the core of what NACS does on behalf of its members, said NACS President and CEO Henry Armour, as he kicked off the 2015 Government Relations Conference in Washington, D.C.
This week, NACS is joined by industry stakeholders, including convenience retailers, state association representatives and NACS supplier members, to learn how to be effective advocates for the industry and share with their members of Congress concerns about issues and regulations that influence their businesses. The Government Relations Conference also gives the industry an opportunity to “tell its story” to the 74 new members of Congress who took office in January, noted Armour.
Yesterday, on the first day of the conference, three U.S. senators spoke to attendees about the importance of their efforts this week on Capitol Hill to bring real-world business issues to their attention. Today, attendees take their message to Capitol Hill directly to legislators.
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), began by saying that there aren’t enough people working in Washington who understand the hard work, decisions and customer service that it takes to run a business. The senator, who came to Congress in 2011 after running a successful plastic sheeting manufacturing company for more than 30 years, said that it’s incumbent upon industries such as the convenience store industry to share with their members of Congress how regulations and legislation affect efforts to grow and expand their businesses.
Johnson said that he approaches Congress like a businessman, looking for areas of agreement on issues that are mutually beneficial to both sides of the coin. As a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, he helped develop a mission statement and vision for the committee to assist members in identifying goals and focusing on passing legislation.
U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), the second-youngest senator sworn into the 114th Congress, said that driving a healthy economy can be achieved with several regulatory and policy changes, beginning with reforming the tax code so that it is more business-friendly and can sustain economic growth. He supports keeping the LIFO (Last-In, First Out) accounting method in place, as well as addressing data security.
When asked his thoughts on the Keystone XL Pipeline, Gardner said he’s “disgusted we’re still talking about it” — it should have already been under construction if not already built and operational.
U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), emphasized the need for members of Congress to work across the aisle and recognize the importance of building relationships and having conversations – advice she takes to heart. She shared examples of reaching out to more senior Republican senators to achieve legislative victories, including her “unlikely partnership” with Senator Don Young (R) of Alaska on a bill that supported education programs for both native Hawaiians and Alaskans.
“The importance of relationships in anything that we do really matters in terms of our effectiveness,” said Hirono, noting that when she wants to introduce legislation, she advise her staff find senators across the aisle to work with.
Look for more coverage of this week’s NACS Government Relations Conference tomorrow in NACS Daily and in the upcoming April issue of NACS Magazine.