As was announced on July 20, PRINTING United Alliance has joined the Manufacturers for Sensible Regulations (MFSR) coalition which seeks to advocate for balanced regulations and secure the future of manufacturing in the United States. As a member of the coalition, the Alliance has been part of the manufacturing associations group that has met with, or is scheduled to meet with Representatives Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-DE), Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Lou Correa (D-CA), Angie Craig (D-MN), Jared Golden (D-ME), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Mark Veasey (D-TX), and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV).
A few of these representatives are part of the Blue Dog Coalition comprised of fiscally responsible, pragmatic members of the Democratic Party. The MFSR plans to engage with the Blue Dog Coalition since throughout its history it has backed measures to modify, consolidate, and repeal existing regulations that harm private sector growth and innovation.
The Biden administration's regulatory agenda is undermining the positive effects of tax reform, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, initial permitting reform actions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and even some energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) president and CEO Jay Timmons.
The MFSR is asking for the appointment of a senior-level White House adviser to ensure that federal regulatory actions align with President Joe Biden’s promise to promote the growth of manufacturing in the United States. The position will allow for a designated person to interact on behalf of the manufacturing industry to ensure existing regulations do not impose undue hardship as what is currently being experienced.
Unbalanced regulations can have the unintended consequence of forcing manufacturers to divert resources to compliance and away from job creation, technological investments, and expanding production in the United States. Several survey findings from NAM, who launched the coalition with members of its Council of Manufacturing Associations (CMA) and Conference of State Manufacturers Associations, revealed that:
- 94% of manufacturers reported that increased regulatory burdens make it harder to create jobs, invest in new equipment, and expand their facilities.
- 93% of the new regulations from across 30 agencies are stifling growth and job creation.
- 68% of voters surveyed agree that small manufacturers bear an unfair burden when faced with excessive regulations.
Current data shows that the average company in the U.S. paid $9,991 per employee per year to comply with federal regulations but that value almost doubles to $19,564 for the average manufacturer. Small manufacturing operations face an even higher burden with regulatory costs rising to $34,671 per employee per year, more than three times the cost for the average U.S. company. Considering that an estimated 80% of printing companies are small businesses, this could have damaging consequences for the printing industry.
Manufacturers across all industries have a strong commitment to sound regulatory actions that are grounded in science and promote worker and consumer safety, improve public health, and protect our environment. However, while complying with the existing body of federal regulations can already be costly and confusing, waves of new regulations can make the burden unsustainable.
Currently, NAM is engaged in approximately 100 proposed regulations which include new proposals in ethylene oxide and particulate matter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), new climate disclosure obligations from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and actions that affect employer-employee relationships from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
For more information on the MFSR, visit NAM's webpage dedicated to protecting manufacturing's resurgence here.
In this article, Sara Osorio, Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Affairs Coordinator, PRINTING United Alliance, discusses the implementation efforts of the Manufacturers for Sensible Regulations coalition. More information about federal regulations can be found at Business Excellence-EHS Affairsor reach out to Sara directly if you have questions about how these issues may affect your business: sosorio@printing.org.
To become a member of the Alliance and learn more about how our subject matter experts can assist your company with services and resources such as those mentioned in this article, please contact the Alliance membership team: 888-385-3588 / membership@printing.org.