Federated Auto Parts members and executives traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to voice their support for the REPAIR Act.
The Federated team spread out through Capitol Hill to meet with Senate and Congressional personnel and explain the importance of this critical piece of legislation.
Federated member Ashlee Arnold, vice president of Arnold Oil Company of Austin, met with the legislative staffs of U.S. Reps. John Carter, Lloyd Doggett and Chip Roy, all from Texas, as well as staff members for Sen. John Cornyn’s office.
“All the meetings felt productive and I was impressed with the amount of knowledge and time the staffers put into understanding our concerns,” Arnold said. “They asked detailed questions on the issue as it pertains to any potential opposition and what the goal would be. One staffer said, ‘So if this doesn’t pass, my dad would no longer be able to fix my car as he did when I was young, correct?’ I cannot thank the team at the Auto Care Association enough for orchestrating this event on behalf of our industry.”
Cliff Hovis, president of Federated member Hovis Auto & Truck Supply, also was busy in Washington, meeting with U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean and Mike Kelly and Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, all representing Pennsylvania.
“It was a very positive and fruitful day,” said Hovis. “The Auto Care Association had things very organized and prepared us to be productive in our meetings. We met with two senators and two congressmen. The congressmen have not signed onto HR 906 yet but showed a lot of interest. I met with Mike Kelly prior in D.C. and have had him to our distribution center for a tour. The two senators showed interest in the REPAIR Act even though it has not been introduced in the senate yet.”
Mike Allen, senior vice president supply chain/member relations, Marc Pappas, CIO for Federated, and Tom Bradley of Fisher Auto Parts met with Reps. Ben Cline and Bob Good from Virginia as well with staff members for Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Reps. Gerry Connolly, Morgan Griffith, Bobby Scott and Jennifer Wexton.
“We had a very productive meeting with Rep. Cline, and we had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Rep. Good to share our thoughts about the REPAIR Act,” said Allen. “Our time was well-spent with lawmakers furthering the cause of consumer choice. Thanks as always to the Auto Care Association for their efforts on behalf of the aftermarket.”
