In a workaround for travel and social-distancing precautions, NATM is organizing a “virtual” Regulatory Roundup and Capitol Hill Visits for July 22-23. To ensure that legislators continue to stay abreast of issues related to the light- and medium-duty trailer industry, the association has shifted its important annual event online.
The day of activities will be divided into two distinct parts: the Regulatory Roundup, which will be held as an informational webinar in the morning, and virtual Capitol Hill Visits in the afternoon. The day will be very similar to the in-person meetings, and NATM hopes to encourage new participants to attend this year to understand the importance of advocacy efforts.
The Regulatory Roundup webinar will feature presentations from experts in government affairs, trade or traffic safety. While the schedule has not been finalized for 2020 Roundup Speakers, previous Roundups have featured presentations from congressional staffers, officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and experts from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The Regulatory Roundup Webinar is open to all NATM members, and NATM encourages anyone interested in attending to sign up to participate. Members do not have to participate in the virtual Hill visits to attend the webinar, NATM notes.
The virtual Capitol Hill Visits will take place in the afternoon. This portion will begin with an informational session on the different congressional offices that NATM teams are scheduled to meet, as well as reviewing the materials and talking points to ensure attendees are familiar and comfortable with the pre-determined messaging.
While the message hasn’t yet been finalized, key talking points will include educating legislators and their staff about NATM’s mission to promote trailer safety and industry best practices.
“It is important to raise awareness of NATM’s work as a third-party inspection body to verify compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, as well as inform legislators that trailers are defined as ‘motor vehicles’ and are thus impacted by legislation often unintentionally,” the association explains.
NATM will also be using the COVID-19 Impact Survey data to convey the detrimental impact that COVID-19 has had on the industry.
Attendees will be split into small teams that will have an experienced, veteran team leader to guide participants through the pre-determined talking points. The teams will virtually meet with three to four congressional offices. The meetings will be either video calls via a platform like Zoom or conference calls. The teams will also have an NATM staff member to host the session and to present the PowerPoint presentation if applicable.
Contact NATM Assistant Director Meghan Ryan at [email protected] or (785) 272-4433 for more information.
