AF&PA 2019 Advocacy Day: Partnering for the Paper and Wood Products Industry’s Future
There’s no “I” in “Team.” Through the years, this phrase has guided American Forest & Paper Association’s (AF&PA) mission to advance forward-thinking public policy that supports the paper and wood products industry’s ability to grow the economy and create American manufacturing jobs. In our book, that success results from partnership, and nothing puts this dynamic front and center more than our Washington, D.C. Advocacy Day.
On June 19, we will join paper and paper-based packaging manufacturing CEOs and senior executives for discussions with key Senate and House members on Capitol Hill and top administration policymakers. We will deliver the message that clear and concise policies are essential for our companies to invest, innovate and compete at home and around the globe.
Across Washington, D.C. we’ll be talking about the need for free and fair trade, including the United States–Mexico–Canada agreement (USMCA), regulatory reforms, a market-based/resilient recycling system and transportation and infrastructure efficiencies. We’ll make the case for trade policies must recognize our strong global position and provide the support our manufacturer need to compete at home and around the world. Congress should pass USMCA now! And, we’ll underscore the need to safely increase truck weight limits on federal highways and implement freight rail system rate and service improvements.
Nothing beats sharing a compelling story face-to-face to reinforce the value of our industry and its contributions to society. We did so earlier this year in Oregon on March 26 at the state capitol in Salem, joining with a number of organizations to shine a spotlight on the forest and forest products sector’s value to the Oregon economy. Later, on May 1, we joined with the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association to put the paper and wood products industry in that state front and center during Illinois Business Day at the state capital in Springfield. And last week, our members were in California meeting with policy makers about the industry’s record 68.1 percent paper recovery rate for recycling.
Our industry’s compelling story would not be possible without the dedicated men and women who make our products. They are the heart and soul of our companies. At AF&PA advocacy days in our state and federal capitals, make no mistake about it, our members underscore the need for public policies toenhance our employees’ ability to manufacture the products that make everyday life better for all of society.
About the Author
Donna Harman, American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and Chief Executive Officer, is recognized by industry leaders and national public policymakers as a leading expert on public policy for the pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products manufacturing sector. Before assuming her current role in May 2007, Harman was AF&PA’s Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs.
Harman serves on the BIPAC Board of Directors and is a member of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s steering committee on Sustainable Forest Industries. She is the past president of the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations and a past chair of the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Council of Manufacturing Associations. Harman currently serves on the Anderson University (Indiana) Board of Trustees and is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Forest Products Industry National Labor Management Committee and a member of the North American Forest Partnership board.
Born in Elkhart, Kansas, Harman earned a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from Anderson University (Indiana) and a law degree from the American University. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Association Committee of 100 and is on RISI’s Top 50 Power List for the pulp and paper industry.
Source: American Forest & Paper Association
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.
