Weekly Advocacy Recap-November 18, 2019

Welcome to the ISSA Advocacy Weekly Recap! This is ISSA’s regular roundup of the latest public policy-related issues impacting the cleaning industry.

White House Advisor Says U.S. and China Nearing a Trade Deal

U.S. officials denied reports last week from Chinese representatives that a trade deal was imminent. This week U.S. White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow confirmed that both sides were “getting close” to ending the 16-month trade war with China. Tariffs have been a major issue for many cleaning product and equipment manufacturers.

Nearly Half of States Slated to Increase Minimum Wage
While the U.S. government has not moved forward on a federal minimum wage increase, 24 states and many more municipalities will be increasing their minimum wage laws in January 2020. Some states and municipalities are increasing their minimum wage laws as high as US$15 per hour while others are phasing lower minimum wage laws in over time. ISSA will continue to track and report these increases to our members.

Tell Congress to Support USMCA
The window of opportunity to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a proposed trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, is quickly shrinking. Congress needs to hear from the cleaning industry and understand there are millions of jobs at stake. Join ISSA in telling Congress to pass USMCA.

Other links of interest:

• Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act Passes Key Senate Committee
• Save the date: 2020 DC Fly-In With ISSA on March 25-26 
• Government Incentives for Hiring Ex-Offenders, Veterans, and People With Disabilities
• ISSA Show North America 2019: Advocacy Panel on Workplace Harassment 
• DACA Immigration Vote Expected in the Spring