WASHINGTON — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) hosted its annual Congressional Fly-in in Washington, District of Columbia on May 23-24.

This year’s Fly-in saw record attendance with 105 individuals representing HARDI members and the HVACR industry. Attendees spent Tuesday afternoon strategizing a game plan focusing on seven key issues affecting their companies, and all day Wednesday communicating these issues to Congressmen, Senators, and their respective staff in meetings with over 200 Congressional offices.

The key issues for the 2017 HARDI Congressional Fly-in were:

  • Pursuing full expensing of HVACR equipment
  • Preserving LIFO
  • Repealing the estate
  • Closing the online sales tax E-commerce loophole
  • Supporting the Working Families Flexibility Act, allowing comp time in the private sector
  • Supporting the Regulatory Accountability Act and reducing future regulatory burden
  • Pursuing more Career and Technical Education (CTE) support and encouraging careers in trades

HARDI presented its 2017 Small Business Champion Award to Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.; Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.; and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. This award is given to elected officials who promote and protect the interests of small businesses, of which more than 80 percent of HARDI wholesalers are classified as.

Fly-in attendees also had the opportunity to hear Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, speak at the Republican Capitol Hill Club on his experience as a small business owner himself while in Congress. Williams displayed a thorough understanding of the prominent issues at this year’s Fly-in, discussing LIFO and the estate tax with second-nature familiarity.

“On behalf of HARDI, I want to thank all the attendees and members for taking time out of their busy schedules to come to Washington in support of the HVACR industry,” said HARDI Vice President of Government and External Affairs, Jon Melchi. “With the record attendance this year, we’re seeing more of our members engage with elected officials year-over-year, which is crucial for advancing our priorities. The collective efforts from everyone who attended the HARDI Congressional Fly-in this year have already given us the momentum we need to push several of our key issues, and we’ll keep members updated as we hit milestones in our progress.”

For more information, please contact Anthony Lagunzad at alagunzad@hardinet.org.  

Publication date: 6/16/2017