ALA, DMC & Chamber of Commerce Asked Congress for These 3 Things

During the monthly meeting of the Engineering Committee for the American Lighting Association (ALA) yesterday, chaired by the new director of engineering Mary Beth Gotti, LC (who took over last month from Terry McGowan, FIES, LC who has retired), committee members received an update on the association’s action to make its collective voice heard in Washington. In fact, Palmer Schoening of Schoening Strategies in Washington, D.C., who is the government affairs consultant for ALA, was literally attending a stakeholders’ meeting in the Speaker’s office at the time of the meeting and asked Gotti to read a statement to the group in his absence.

According to Schoening, the ALA teamed up with the Dallas Market Center and the Chamber of Commerce to make three requests in Washington: one, an immediate 90-day pause of the China tariffs; two, to exempt all products that cannot be produced at a reasonable cost, or at all in the United States, which includes most lighting products; and three, to establish a clear exclusion process.

Schoening noted, “We had a number of ALA members submit testimonials on their challenges with tariffs, which we shared with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Capitol Hill. I want to thank all of those who took the time to submit testimonials which help us communicate our opposition to the tariffs directly from members. The tariff fight is far from over, but the pause and temporary relief from China tariffs is a step in the right direction.”

The other significant concern that Schoening is following in Washington is a tax bill moving through Congress. “As everyone is probably aware, there are a number of tax provisions that expire at the end of 2025, which if not renewed will increase taxes on most ALA members by 20 to 30 percent,” his statement to the Engineering Committee read.

Among the topics on the House bill are an expansion of the 20% deduction for qualified business income, full expensing for business equipment as well as for structures such as buildings and warehouses. Schoening’s statement read, “The House is set to vote this week and we are meeting with Senate offices on the next steps.”  

Addressing the Engineering Committee, Gotti added, “Palmer wanted to thank all of you who took the time to chat with him about company-specific tariff challenges and submitted testimonials for us to share on the Hill and with the administration. He mentioned Dave Gatto of Westinghouse, Mike Stack from Bulbrite, Tom and Matt Garber from EmeryAllen, Terry McGowan, Mike Kachala from Hinkley, and many others who have been generous with their time.”

ALA members who have questions pertaining to tariffs, tax provisions, or government affairs are encouraged to contact Palmer Shoening at ShoeningStrategies.com.

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