Inaugural Laundry Hill Day an Unprecedented Success

The first-ever Laundry Hill Day was a smashing success with record-setting numbers of attendees and meetings on Capitol Hill. Held on the final day of TRSA’s 15th Annual Legislative Conference, Laundry Hill Day featured a total of 110 attendees and 142 meetings with members of Congress and/or key staff members.

The focus of the meetings on Capitol Hill were twofold. Executives from the linen, uniform and facility services industry spoke with members of Congress and staffers to convince them to sign on to a letter to Maryann D’Alessandro at the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL). The letter asks D’Alessandro to issue an NPPTL Workplace Solutions document recommending that healthcare facilities maintain a 50% operating threshold of reusable healthcare contact textiles (HCTs). Doing so would enhance worker and patient safety, reduce the impact of supply-chain disruptions and offer a cost-effective strategy to save healthcare facilities money.

TRSA has been laying the groundwork on this issue for several years, going back to its 2023 efforts with members of Congress to help catalyze a study on the benefits of reusables, sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

As part of this study, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) held a workshop with subject-matter experts, which resulted in a recommendation to increase the use of reusable healthcare PPE, based on their environmental, safety, supply-chain protection and cost-savings benefits. Based on the NASEM findings, NIOSH committed to engaging with partners to advance this effort.

Another topic of discussion was the Trump administration’s recent announcement of tariffs on imported goods, which are creating uncertainty in the business community. During the meetings, members of Congress were urged to take a leadership role to protect American businesses and consumers from increased costs due to tariffs.

Mark Spence, operations executive, ImageFIRST, had meetings with U.S. Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO). “Hats off to the TRSA staff for the exceptional meetings and Laundry Day at the Hill,” Spence said. “It was first class in every aspect, and to truly experience Washington, DC, at the level you all made possible was amazing! … The state-specific booklet with the stats about our industry in Missouri was EXTREMELY helpful to the staffers in terms of them understanding the economic impact our industry has in the state. Thanks to you all for putting together a great event.”

In addition to TRSA operator and supplier partner executives, participating organizations included the Association for Linen Management (ALM), American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA), CSC Network and Textile Care Allied Trades Association (TCATA).

“It was a pleasure to participate, and I truly appreciate ALM’s inclusion in such an important event and for the hospitality shown to me,” said Christina Horsley, vice president of operations at ALM. “The work you do to advocate for our industry is so important, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved.”

TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci added that, “Involving several national linen and uniform services organizations helps the industry better represent its full depth and breadth while enhancing collaboration. Our goal is for the industry to speak with a single, unified voice on issues impacting the expansion and protection of the industry by addressing common challenges and advocating more effectively for policies that benefit all members.”

Before heading to their meetings, Hill Day attendees gathered at the Capitol Hill Club for breakfast and a briefing from TRSA’s Vice President of Government Relations Kevin Schwalb. Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH) addressed the crowd and took several questions from the audience.

Thanks to TRSA’s Five-Star Partners JENSEN Group, Kannegiesser ETECH and Pellerin Milnor; Four-Star Partners Alliant Systems, G.A. Braun and Unitex International Inc.; and Premium Sponsors Brim Laundry Machinery Co. Inc.; Ellis Corp. and Lavatec Laundry Technology Inc. for their support of TRSA’s 15th Annual Legislative Conference. For more coverage of TRSA’s 15th Annual Legislative Conference and Industry Awards Dinner, click here. To read a recap of the Supplier Partner Workship, click here.