COLUMBUS, Ohio – In May, Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) hosted their annual fly-in, bringing nearly 100 members in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the event, more than 100 HARDI members and staff conducted approximately 200 meetings with congressional offices on Capitol Hill. Politico Influence highlighted the bipartisan outreach in their May 23 newsletter.

"Our current Fly-in participation continues to turn heads on Capitol Hill" said vice president of government affairs Palmer Schoening. "Thank you to all of our members who came to Washington this year. Your engagement will be a tremendous help in our advocacy efforts in the months ahead."

The HARDI Fly-in showcased a distinguished lineup of speakers, including Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., who led the Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee during passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Additionally, Representatives Lou Barletta, R-Pa., Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, addressed HARDI members, focusing on policies that impact the HVACR industry. The top legislative issues HARDI prioritized for this year's fly-in included tax cut permanence, ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal protocol, e-fairness, and promoting career and technical education to support jobs in the trades.

"We are confident that our efforts this year will resonate in the short term," said director of government ffairs Alex Ayers. "Many of our legislative priorities enjoyed support from both parties. Now we have additional weight to throw behind them thanks to the efforts from our Fly-in attendees."

The HARDI Congressional Fly-in has become an effective tool in shaping the policies that affect our members. Full expensing of commercial HVACR equipment was a top priority of our industry in 2017. Thanks to member engagement, HARDI was able to shepherd bipartisan full expensing legislation through Congress that was ultimately included in the tax reform package that passed in 2017.

"Many Fly-in attendees are regulars who have achieved veteran status after years of coming to this event," said public affairs specialist Anthony Lagunzad. "Not only is our reputation as an association growing in Washington, but also our clout on so many of these issues affecting small businesses, family businesses and the HVACR industry as a whole."

Publication date: 6/1/2018

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