Information about IPC Capitol Hill Day

1. Preparations for IPC Capitol Hill Day
2. Legislative Issues NEW UPDATES!
3. Agenda
4. FAQs
5. Meeting and Hotel Information

Preparations for Capitol Hill Day

In preparation for Capitol Hill Day, we encourage you to do the following:

• First, please bring plenty of business cards
• Second, bring three or four copies of your corporate annual report or similar piece describing your company
• Third, please bring any samples of products you make 
• Fourth, when you receive your briefing binder, please bring it to all of your meetings

Finally, please bring a sense of humor and a little patience. Anytime you are calling on your elected representatives, conditions may be less than perfect. Try to take any inconveniences in stride.

What to Expect

When you attend IPC’s Capitol Hill Day event you will meet face to face with your lawmakers and/or their staff and brief them on specific issues affecting your company. Your discussions with your legislators will help ensure the competitiveness of U.S. technology-based businesses, assist in the sustainability and growth of 21st century manufacturing jobs in America, and facilitate the innovations necessary for the electronics industry to be able to compete in the global economy.

When you receive your briefing binder at the registration desk you will receive specific details of IPC’s 2011 legislative goals. A copy of the pertinent bills and other supporting materials that you will be using on your congressional visits are included in your briefing binder. These are tools and information that you will be using on your visits.

We will give you a full briefing of the materials before you go on your visits, however, please return to this website to view the materials before you arrive in Washington, DC. The more familiar you are with them, the more smoothly your visits will go.

If you have any questions prior to your arrival on IPC Capitol Hill Day, please contact Ron Chamrin, IPC manager of government relations, at +1 703-522-0225. He will be happy to assist you.

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2011 IPC CAPITOL HILL DAY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

Conflict minerals regulations will impose significant costs and extremely burdensome reporting requirements for electronics companies throughout the supply chain. Under law passed in July 2010, publicly traded companies will be required to provide costly and burdensome reports to the SEC if their products contain tin, tantalum, gold or tungsten from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although the reporting requirements apply only to publicly traded companies, it is expected that the requirements will rapidly flow through the entire supply chain in a manner similar to the RoHS compliance data requests that proliferated through the supply chain. IPC and other industries are urging Congress to encourage the SEC to adopt measures, including a phasing-in of the regulatory requirements, which will minimize the impact of conflict minerals regulations on manufacturers. IPC members are needed to support efforts to encourage the SEC to minimize the impact of conflict minerals regulations.

Learn more about conflict minerals

Government over-regulation negatively impacts companies’ ability to compete in a global marketplace.  Burdensome regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Department of Commerce (DOC) to name just a few, are impeding electronics companies’ competitiveness by imposing costly and unnecessary regulatory burdens. IPC and other trade associations are encouraging Congress to address government over-regulation by conducting more oversight. IPC encourages members of Congress to support the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011,” or more commonly known as the REINS Act. The REINS aims to address government over-regulation by requiring executive agencies to submit major rulemaking proposals to Congress for review prior to implementation.  IPC members are needed to ask their legislators to help reign in over-regulation by becoming co-sponsors of the REINS Act. 

IPC members can help maintain military and aerospace support of the U.S. electronic interconnect industry by advocating the control of printed board assemblies in ITAR items. Printed boards and assemblies are not commodities, but are instead specifically designed for each piece of electronics in which they function.  Thus, printed boards and assemblies designed for ITAR items provide critical information about the larger system of which they are a part.  To protect national security, printed boards assemblies that are specifically designed for items controlled under ITAR should also be manufactured by companies complying with ITAR. The government intends to propose and finalize changes to the U.S. export control regulations, namely the ITAR and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), before the end of 2011. IPC members are needed to encourage Congress to urge the Administration to control printed boards assemblies that are specifically designed for items under ITAR. 

2011 IPC CAPITOL HILL DAY FAQs

1. How long should each of my meetings last? How much time should I plan for in between my meetings?

You should expect each of your meetings to last between 20 minutes and 45 minutes. This will largely depend on how much time the member of Congress and/or staff has on their schedule.

You will have about an hour between each of your meetings. This will allow you enough time to get to a meeting when a previous meeting might have lasted longer than expected, or to include travel time from the House office buildings to the Senate office buildings.

When arranging your travel, please improve your chances of being able to meet with your legislators by planning to be in Washington through the conclusion of the summit on Thursday, June 16, 2011.

2. Am I supposed to set up meetings with all three of my representatives (two Senators, one member of the House of Representatives)? Are joint meetings with other colleagues okay?

IPC staff will schedule your meetings. Ideally, meetings with be with all three of your representatives. However, schedules and other factors might not let this happen. It will be easier on you, your colleagues, and the staff you're meeting with to have joint meetings when more than one of you are meeting with the same office. Feel free to let others join in your meetings.

3. How do I get to Capitol Hill?

You will be responsible for arranging all of your travel. Information about subway travel, the Capitol Hill building complex, and special events are in each attendee’s briefing binder. More details about the logistics of the meetings and agenda will be provided during the pre-meeting briefing. Washington, D.C. has many options of travel in the city but make sure to allow enough time. The city blocks on Capitol Hill are long blocks. Please allow time for metal detectors and security lines in the office buildings. Security guards can be helpful in locating a specific office. Building layout maps and signs are also posted in all buildings after the security check point.

4. What should I wear to my meetings?

Dress professionally. However, be sure to wear comfortable shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking.

5. What are the main themes to talk about with my legislator?

Try to make a connection with your legislator such as; “My company is in your district and employs X number of people.”

The most important message to get across in your meetings is for the member of Congress and/or staff to understand that the economic challenges that face the country are daunting yet, every phase of progress will undoubtedly include the electronic interconnect industry:

• Improvement of America's competitiveness and the increased use of science and technology are pivotal to the future of the U.S. circuit board and electronic assembly industries
• In the current economic downturn, our industry has tremendous potential and remains vital in rejuvenating the slumping economy
• Electronics are inextricably intertwined with the solutions to many economic, environmental, energy and health care management problems

6. Will there be handouts available for me to leave behind with Hill staff?

Yes. IPC will provide each attendee with leave behinds for each meeting. You are encouraged to bring a sample product and your company profile or similar style documents to leave behind.

7. What do I do with my luggage?

Security in and around the Congressional Office Buildings is restrictive. Due to the tight security, attendees will not be permitted to bring their luggage to Capitol Hill with them. We recommend that you check your luggage at your hotel. You may then return to your hotel and retrieve your luggage before catching your flight.

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