No decision on trade association meetings ban for government workers
In a meeting with ASAE officials, the Obama administration did not give a timeframe for releasing a final rule on barring government employees from attending trade association meetings, but said it continues to weigh comments received since the rule was proposed late last year.
Attending the Jan. 31 meeting were ASAE CEO John Graham IV, CAE, and public policy SVP Jim Clarke, CAE. Also attending were leaders of the association's Key Industry Associations Committee: KIAC chairman Matthew Shay, CAE, CEO, National Retail Federation, American Beverage Association CEO Susan Neely, CAE, and American Frozen Food Institute CEO Kraig Naasz. Graham and the KIAC leaders sent a letter to the administration three months ago, charging that the administration was "painting organizations like ours as peddlers of influence and nothing more." (See "ASAE pushes back on White House proposal to limit access to trade associations," Nov. 3.)
At the recent meeting with White House officials, Shay, Neely and Naasz shared examples of meetings and conferences that typically attract government employees as participants. Dialogue that takes place at these meetings "is important for the development of effective regulations and policies that don’t overburden the private sector," ASAE officials argue.
White House officials did not commit to modifying the rule, but will continue to gather more information from the association community, ASAE reported. Staff from the White House Counsel’s office said they are still reviewing comments about the proposed rule, and did not give a timeframe for releasing a final rule. Details: www.asaecenter.org.
