Weekly Advocacy Recap—USMCA, Workforce Training, and NY Ingredient Communication

Welcome to the ISSA Advocacy Weekly Recap, our regular roundup of the latest public policy issues impacting the cleaning industry. This week’s recap touches on the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, an upcoming New York State Department of Environmental Conservation meeting on ingredient communications, ISSA’s support for a bill to allow 529 savings accounts to be used for workforce training and certification, and more.

ISSA Celebrates USMCA Signing
U.S. President Donald Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The trade deal with Canada and Mexico is a bipartisan update to the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. Along with the United States, Mexico has already approved USMCA and Canada is expected to consider the agreement in the coming weeks. ISSA actively worked to secure U.S. approval of USMCA and thanked Congress and the president for approving this important trade deal.

New York State Public Meeting on Household Cleansing Products Regulations
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is holding a public meeting at 1:00 pm EST on February 24, 2020, to discuss amendments to the household cleansing product rules being considered for adoption. Amendments include specifying what information must be reported about covered products and their ingredients, how information should be shared with DEC for the public record, the type of studies that must be reported, and how confidential business information should be handled. During this meeting, DEC is looking for input on disclosure of nonfunctional ingredients, issues around confidential information, and how to disclose when a product’s formulation temporarily changes, as well as other regulatory concerns.

ISSA Supports 529 Bill
H.R. 5339, the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act, would allow 529 savings accounts to be used for workforce training, certification, and other credentialing program costs. The bipartisan bill would provide valuable tax-advantaged resources for individuals pursuing career advancement, alternative career pathways, or mid-career changes. ISSA, which offers a myriad of cleaning-related training and certification programs, proudly supports this legislation.

Other links of interest:

• US, Japan Pull Nationals from China, Big Virus Economic Hit Forecast
• Supreme Court Lifts Injunction on Public Charge Rule
• After China Trade Deal, Europe and UK Next on Trump’s To-Do List
• Canada Kicks off USMCA Ratification Process, Urges Bi-partisan Co-operation
• Make Your Voice Heard: Register Today for ISSA’s Clean Advocacy Summit, March 25-26, 2020