ASA Advocacy team provides critical voice on vital industry issues

By Steve Rossi and Jim Kendzel, ASA Advocacy Office

At the beginning of January, Congress saw the results of the 2022 election as members were sworn in. The new and returning members saw the slightest of shifts in the majority of both chambers with Democrats taking a 51-49 majority in the Senate (compared to a 50-50 split in the previous Congress), and a 222-213 Republican majority in the House (216-213 Democratic majority with 6 vacancies previously).

Shortly after members arrived, a 15-round vote for Speaker of the House took place until Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected. The challenge to his election did not come from the minority party, but factions within the Republican majority itself — providing keen insight into the challenges any legislative party caucus leader can face and a preview of debates to come in the 118th Congress.

In early February, roughly 100 ASA volunteer members gathered in Naples, Florida to attend the ASA Strategic Planning Retreat. One of the main topics of conversation was the value add that ASA Advocacy brings to its members and how that benefit can be enhanced now and into the future.

As mentioned previously, the partisan control of Congress shifted ever so slightly after the last election. In addition, Washington is likely in the midst of the most politically turbulent time since the late 1800s. It was also fitting that President Biden gave his State of the Union address concurrent with the ASA event. Many were able to see how even during the President’s speech, there were frequent outbursts from the audience during the joint session of Congress (both for and against), in what is usually a fairly staid affair.

During this era of deep partisan divide, advocacy efforts take on an even larger role. At the time of writing, President Biden released his $6.9 trillion budget that aims to increase both spending and deficit reduction over the next 10 years. The Republican majority in the House will likely reject most provisions of this proposal outright, as the GOP aims to reduce spending in FY2024 by roughly $130 billion. They also propose to do this without any cuts to defense, Medicare or Medicaid spending.

At the same time, many House Republicans want to link any deal on the budget to the increase in the federal debt limit. The Treasury Department anticipates the federal government could start to default on its debt obligations as soon as this summer. In order to avert that, and the detrimental effects it would have on the economy, Congress needs to approve an increase to the debt ceiling before then to allow the government to borrow more funds. Coupled with additional “must pass” measures such as a new farm bill, the annual National Defense Authorization Act, FAA reauthorization and other laws, Congress will have its work cut out for it. This is where advocacy comes into play.

Along with the hundreds of bills ASA Advocacy tracks at federal and state levels, the team also tracks federal and state regulatory proposals and changes to codes and standards that directly or indirectly affect the PHCP-PVF industry. While many of ASA’s members do not have the resources to invest in a comprehensive advocacy program for their own organizations, ASA’s Advocacy team allows our members to have influence at a higher level by navigating the legislative labyrinth, promoting policies that help our members grow, slow down or stop those that don’t, and provide guidance to help companies adjust to regulatory, code and tax shifts that may occur in the future.

Any members that have a question, comment, or concern about federal or state issues, please contact ASA VP of Advocacy Steve Rossi at srossi@asa.net

Codes and Standards update

ASA has been engaged with other industry organizations in pursuing changes to the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials Uniform Mechanical Code related to the use of A2L refrigerants, and the acceptance of certain joining systems used in refrigeration systems.

Recently, the final stage of the process was completed with the IAPMO board considering petitions from industry to reconsider decisions reached by the UMC Technical Committee and the IAPMO Standards Council. Fortunately, the IAPMO board reviewed the petitions and ruled in support of the industry on the following proposals:

Use of Concealed Spaces as Plenums: The current UMC allows for the use of concealed building spaces or independent construction within buildings to be used for ducts or plenums. The IAPMO TC and SC supported a proposal to eliminate this allowance from the UMC. The board supported industry opposition to this change on the basis it would create conflict with other sections of the UMC. As a result, the current requirements will remain in place.

Incorporation of Current ASHRAE 15-2022 Requirements:

The IAPMO TC and SC rejected industry proposals to update the text of Chapter 11 of the UMC to be consistent with the most up-to-date requirements of ASHRAE 15 – 2022. Industry petitioned the IAPMO board to reconsider this decision for several reasons with the major reason being the potential confusion in the marketplace if the current requirements of ASHRAE 15 are not adopted into the UMC. The IAPMO board granted the industry petition and Chapter 11 will be updated to be consistent with ASHRAE 15 – 2022.

Referencing of Current Revision to UL-207: The IAPMO TC and SC rejected industry proposals to incorporate the current edition of UL 207 Refrigerant-Containing Components and Accessories, Nonelectrical. Industry petitioned the IAPMO board to reconsider the decision based on potential confusion in the marketplace based on products being certified to the most recent version of the UL Standard and not previous versions, as well as lack of technical justification for not referencing the current standard. The IAPMO board supported the industry petition, and the current version of UL 207 will be referenced in the UMC.

In addition to the above IAPMO board actions, we also received a positive decision from the IAPMO SC in late 2022 related to our appeal on the TC Committee decision to accept a proposal to update the UMC to require all joints on refrigeration piping installed in concealed spaces shall be brazed. We appealed this decision to the IAPMO SC stating the proposed restriction would eliminate the use of joining systems and piping materials currently accepted in concealed locations without any technical justification for the restriction. The SC supported our position and removed the proposed restriction from the next publication of the UMC.

A big thank-you to our friends at the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) who played a key leadership role in bringing together all industry stakeholders to advocate for sound industry positions throughout the development process.

The efforts above along with all the activities of ASA Codes and Standards area are designed to ensure our members have the ability to produce and distribute high-quality and safe plumbing and PVF products in a free and open market without significant hinderance based on unrealistic requirements.

ASA CONNECT program continues to bring members together to solve pressing issues and challenges

By Marshall Jones

Every six weeks for the last 15 years I have enjoyed the incredible opportunity to spend the day with seven amazing peers.

The resulting thousand hours the eight of us shared were without question the most valuable of any time I spent in any setting during my career. The experiences and lessons they passed along saved me countless hours and dollars. Their willingness to challenge me through tough and pointed questions has given me the confidence to make decisions that built multiple businesses.

The trust we developed has allowed me to stretch my comfort zone and grow my creativity knowing I can test my ideas with them in a judgement-free space. As valuable as all of this has been to me, what stands out as the most important gift from these peers has been the certainty I am never alone in my journey. They are always with me, and I am always with them.

Our group came together through an association the eight of us had joined called Young President’s Organization (YPO). As a perk of membership, you can participate in what they call Forum. You are not assigned to a Forum in YPO. Instead, the other members determine whether you are a good fit for the

Forum, and you decide if the Forum is a good fit for you. During my time in this group, others have come and gone, but the eight of us together today have seen each other through ups and downs and everything in between over the last 15 years.

My intense positive experience with Forum and my business partner’s involvement in a similar group prompted us to pitch a member service offering to the American Supply Association that eventually came to be known as CONNECT.

CONNECT forums are comprised of members who share the same job responsibilities. Purchasing agents meeting with purchasing agents, HR managers sharing with other HR managers and financial officers exploring best practices with other financial officers are three examples of the nine rolespecific forums we offer.

Just as in my YPO Forum, we explore relevant and meaningful topics through CONNECT. Each member has the chance to share their pressing issues or challenges, and these are tackled in our one-hour monthly meetings. Through our proven facilitation program, we break down broad topics such as “recruiting new employees” into the bite-size morsels like “reducing no-show interviews” and “best practices for conducting Zoom interviews” that are part of a broader subject. Those two morsels are examples of real challenges one of our HR forums has explored recently. Each month our members leave with takeaways to immediately put into practice at their company.

Just as in my YPO Forum, our CONNECT members ask tough questions of each other. Trust is the foundation of good experience sharing, and it’s what allows us to feel comfortable asking our peers what to outsiders might seem to be uncomfortable questions.

Knowing we all care about each other and having a set of rules which promote a safe environment creates the trust needed to build confidence in our solutions. I have been fortunate to witness many examples of this during our CONNECT meetings. It is a great feeling to experience a member who started an exploration uncertain of a course of action gain the belief their solution will benefit their company. Our members have been able to confidently present their recommendations to senior leadership because they tested them out in the trusting environment of a CONNECT forum.

Our CONNECT members know they are not alone. Even if you encounter customers, coworkers, and suppliers throughout your day, the distribution industry can often feel like a lonely place. One of the highlights of my time with the CONNECT program came during a Training Forum session.

We had a new training and development manager join the group, and after her fellow members introduced themselves and welcomed her to the call, she said with a huge smile on her face, “I am so happy to have found my people.” I didn’t realize how much I valued the feeling of “It’s nice to know I’m not alone” until hearing it from so many of our CONNECT members.

If your company is a part of the American Supply Association, you are eligible for a discount off CONNECT membership. You can join a CONNECT forum at any time during the year.

If you would like more details you can talk with an ASA representative (email connect@asa.net), one of us at Connected Peers, or even a CONNECT participant. Another option is to sit in on a meeting to find out if it’s right for you. There has been nothing more valuable in my business career than the time I’ve invested in my forum.

Our hope is CONNECT members will say the same thing about their forum experience.

Come give it a try.

Marshall Jones is a founding partner of Connected Peers Organization. Connected Peers brings together key employees in distribution’s leading companies to solve common challenges through online facilitated experience sharing. For more on the ASA CONNECT program, visit asa.net/ Meetings-Events/CONNECT. Email Marshall at marshall@ connectedpeers.com

ASA members meet with elected officials on Capitol Hill

ASA members from across the country descended upon Washington recently to help advocate for issues important to the PHCP-PVF industry. After a successful virtual legislative fly-in at the end of 2021, ASA advocates took full advantage of inperson meetings to promote the industry before senators, representatives and key staff alike.

Attendees received an issue briefing that covered the current state of industry-related proposals in both houses of Congress, the best way to present these measures, and the best times of year to invite their senators and representatives to visit their facilities. Some key issues included keeping current corporate tax rates, protecting LIFO inventory valuation, protecting family-owned businesses from increased estate taxes and water quality legislation.

After a legislative dinner punctuated by a keynote address from longtime Washington insider John Feehery, ASA members took the Hill the next morning not only with their respective members from their home states, but also had special meetings with friends to our industry such as Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) and Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN), who took time to meet with ASA advocates and not only listen and take questions, but offered their insights on legislative status and current support.

With close to 40 legislative offices visited, ASA members made an immediate impact during a critical period in the legislative process.