Although the current administration has brought – and may continue to bring – changes to regulations that have an impact on the printing industry, that in no way means print service providers (PSPs) should stop paying attention. To gain a better understanding of where we are now and where we’re headed, Wide-format Impressions reached out to Stephanie Buka, Adriane Harrison, Gary Jones, and Sara Osorio, all subject matter experts from PRINTING United Alliance, to answer three key questions below.
What is the most important thing that happened in your area of interest since the beginning of this year?
Buka: “Two things come to mind. The first was the passage of the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act. It allows 529 plans, those accounts that were designed to fund college tuition, to also be used for job training and technical education. PRINTING United Alliance was part of a coalition working on that and we’ve been advocating for it. It was signed into law July 4th. The other, within the budget reconciliation bill that was passed, has several tax provisions that make conditions more friendly for businesses. Particularly, a 20% tax deduction for small businesses was made permanent. I think Alliance members and the industry will be pleased.”
Jones: “On the federal level, the focus has been to implement a deregulatory agenda, but there hasn’t been much activity directly impacting the printing industry. However, there has been more activity at the state level, particularly with the expansion and continuation of EPR (extended producer responsibility).
Three new states have jumped into EPR this year, which makes for seven states that are using it to address printed paper and packaging waste. So, there’s a big movement in that direction. Also, in the states, we’ve had a significant breakthrough in cleaning solvents in Southern California giving printers more options for cost-effective solutions that work, and we were able to keep a ban on carbon black in inks off the books. We are also continuing our work to keep Washington State from banning chlorinated pigments, which could be devastating to the industry.”
Osorio: “The one thing that stands out the most is heat illness. So far, six states have some sort of regulation in place to address it. There’s also the federal proposed rule from OHSA, and though we’re uncertain where that is going, we expect it to change. But temperatures are going up, heat illness is going up, and there’s a lot of demand in the states to do something.”
Harrison: “There are a few things. The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) issued a guidance document that has removed gender identity protections. Is it the most important thing to focus on? I’m not sure, but it is a big thing. Particularly for employers, this means companies don’t have to provide bathrooms for trans employees and the employees cannot necessarily use the bathroom of their choice. Also interesting is that there is still not a quorum at either the EEOC or the NRLB (National Labor Relations Board), and neither can perform significant business without a quorum. Finally, companies that have a significant population of immigrant employees need to be ready in the event of an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raid, which means that they should be prepared to show accurate I-9 forms related to their employees. It also is important for employers to be aware of the laws and protocols.”
Read this full feature on Wide-Format Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
