Episode 33 – Government Relations Update

Welcome to the TRSA podcast. Providing interviews and insights from the linen, uniform, and facility services industry. Most Americans might not realize it, but they benefit at least once per week from the cleanliness and safety of laundered, reusable linens, uniforms, towels, mats, and other products provided by various businesses and organizations. TRSA represents the companies that supply, launder, and maintain linens and uniforms. And in this podcast, we will bring the thought leaders of the industry to you.

Thanks for tuning in once again to the Linen Uniform and Facility Services podcast, interviews and insights by TRSA. I’m your host, Jason Risley. And on today’s episode, we’ll give you an update on TRSA’s advocacy efforts at the federal level as well as hear about some key initiatives at the state level from TRSA’s vice president of government relations, Kevin Schwab. After listening to today’s episode, if you’d like more information on TRSA’s response to the COVID 19 crisis on behalf of its operator members and supplier partners, go to TRSA’s Coronavirus Resource Center at www.trsa.org/covid19. And now let’s listen to that update from Kevin.

I’m Kevin Schwab, t r s a’s vice president of government affairs and certifications. Again, I’ve got a very short, policy update. Just a few words on what’s going on here in Washington DC and abroad. There’s a thing called an election that’s going on. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it, but, it is something that is actually taking a lot of the air out of our policy process.

The one thing that I know that, many of you are interested in that you’ve seen some action on is a stimulus package, an additional stimulus. The house did pass a stimulus package. 2 of the aspects of the stimulus package were an opportunity for for businesses to apply for the PPP, Paycheck Protection Program, funds. Even if you’ve done it before, it allows a second go at it. It, reduces the number of employees available.

So it would be employers, with less than 200 people at their plant. Also, you would have to show a threshold of a minimum of 25% loss due to COVID activities. Those are the criteria for that. It also allows for extra, emergency funds from, the small business emergency fund loan, program. The house passed it.

It is very unlikely the senate is gonna may have any action on that. The stimulus effort has been going in fits and spurts. TRSA has, submitted many letters, letters asking for more PPP funds, more emergency loans, and more opportunities to help, you, the TRSA members, both operators and supplier partners. So we are gonna we’re keeping an eye on it. I’m not real sure about it.

Between the election and the supreme court nomination, there’s not a whole lot of air in Washington to be taken up. The house is out on a scheduled recess until after the election. Now that does not mean they cannot be called back to pass some sort of stimulus funding, but right now, it just does not seem likely. Now for a brief message from TRSA. Hi.

My name is David Avrin. I’m the author of the book Why Customers Leave and How to Win Them Back. And I’m excited to be one of your speakers for the Sales Summit coming up November 17th 18th. I’m excited because I’m gonna talk customer experience as a meaningful marketing tool, as a differentiator in in a very challenging environment, what is arguably the toughest business environment in modern history. In the middle of a pandemic, coming out of the pandemic, what’s the world gonna look like next year?

How have your customers changed? How has their world changed? Anybody notice that your customers or clients are a little more demanding, a little more impatient? Well, of course, we all are because we can be. We’ve learned that we can have anything we want delivered to our door overseas online otherwise, and it’s changing us.

So we’re gonna talk about how do we change as well. The best part is it’s interactive. Turn your web cameras on, turn your microphones on. Let’s have a great conversation. It’s the TRSA Virtual Marketing and Sales Summit coming up November 17th 18th.

My name is David Avrich. I’m so looking forward to seeing you at the conference. Now back to the episode. Now another issue that we’ve been able to actually play offense on and due to the pandemic issue is being able to discuss the benefits of reusables, reusable textiles, whether it’s towels, linens, scrubs, gowns, PPE versus disposables. And there are currently several stockpile efforts going on both at the federal government and state government.

We are in contact with FEMA, and we are working with the CDC to to encourage a stockpile of 50% reusable, health care PPE on an operating stock as well as at the state level. I know in California that, there was there was legislation recently passed and signed by the governor that was establishing a stockpile of health care linens. The original version did not have an opportunity for reusable health care linens to be utilized. However, we did get involved. We got, we started reaching out.

And through our efforts, reusables are, part of the stockpile effort as well as TRSA is going to have a seat at their, stockpile task force, the state stockpile task force. So that’s where we are. The this this horrible pandemic has led to some opportunities for the PRSA community to reach out and, show exactly the importance of our industry and what it is we have to offer. California governor Newsom, he signed into law a bill that creates a framework for COVID 19 related workers’ compensation claims. The bill goes into effect or actually went into effect, I’m sorry, on September 17, 2020, and it is in stays in effect until January 1, 2023.

Basically and this is a very truncated version. And, basically, it says if an employee contracts COVID during that time frame, they would be available for workers’ compensation benefits. Now there are different hurdles that they have to clear, and the employer does have some opportunities to respond to ensure that they did contract the COVID at their workplace. Because if there’s anybody in any of these other states, there’s something going on, please let me know that we need to get involved. The best information I receive are from boots on the ground.

We have a very robust program to stay abreast of what’s going on across this nation in each of our states, but our best information sources come from you. A strong united message on policy issues is increasingly important in order to have a voice in Washington DC and in state capitals across the United States, especially as we continue to battle the COVID 19 pandemic and its harmful effects on the economy. This united voice helps policymakers enact legislation that is not overly burdensome or potentially harmful to the linen, uniform, and facility services industry. TRSA’s political action committee or TRSA PAC helps the industry present a united front on important legislative and regulatory issues at both the federal and state levels. For more information on contributing to the TRSA pack, contact TRSA’s vice president of government relations, Kevin Schwab, at kschwalb@trsa.org.

That’s kschwalb@trsa.org. We’ll be back soon with another episode of the Linen Uniform and Facility Services podcast. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review our show on Apple Itunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. Additionally, don’t forget to follow TRSA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.