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Contact: John Ferraro Second Independent Contractor Summit a Huge Success MCAA members meet with 75 congressional offices to discuss courier industry WASHINGTON, D.C., April 28, 2008 – MCAA members from all over the country descended on Washington, D.C. for the second Independent Contractor Summit on April 23, 2008. Attendees participated in a packed one day event that consisted of excellent expert speakers and a full afternoon of meetings on Capitol Hill. The summit began in the early morning at the historic Madison Hotel with Rob Slack, MCAA President, recounting how far MCAA has come in developing its government affairs and grassroots programs. United States Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA) was the first of two Members of Congress to address the summit attendees. Congressman Reichert became a strong supporter of same day delivery industry after an MCAA member and constituent visited him as part of the MCAA Congressional Grassroots Program. The Congressman shared his past experiences as a county sheriff and his battles for funding with county officials to demonstrate the importance of perseverance and persistence. His message of determination was very well received by all who attended. Following Congressman Reichert was Mike Rusnak, former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) trial lawyer. Through his tremendous amount of subject matter knowledge, Mr. Rusnak was able to give his insights into past and possible future IRS enforcement activities. He also gave a very informative summary of Congress’s thinking behind the passage of IRS Section 530 in the late 1970s. Bill Rys, Tax Counsel for the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), gave the political outlook of two pending pieces of legislation in Congress. The legislation he discussed was S2044 by Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and the newly introduced HR5804 by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA). Both bills make very negative changes to the Section 530 safe harbor provision in the IRS tax code. Next on the agenda was Art Sackler, MCAA's federal affairs lobbyist, who outlined what each attendee should expect as they go from office to office educating Members of Congress on the same day delivery industry and its vital importance to the economy. Mr. Sackler drew upon his own experiences to give each attendee the tools needed to have a successful meeting. The final speaker of the summit was United States Congressman Tom Price (R-GA). As a key member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, Congressman Price had a tremendous amount of knowledge on the independent contractor issue and the ongoing debate in Congress. The Congressman gave a very motivational speech and highlighted the importance of building relationships with Members of Congress. “Congressman Tom Price did an outstanding job exciting and inspiring our attendees to make their voices heard when meeting with their Members of Congress,” said Chris MacKrell, Chairman of MCAA’s Government and Legal Affairs Committee. “His enthusiastic remarks were just what the group needed as they prepared to make their way to Capitol Hill.” After the morning educational speakers had shared their wisdom and insights, summit attendees had a working lunch to discuss where the MCAA should focus its efforts and resources in the future. The group consensus was that increased attention needs to be given to the federal level but also additional resources are needed as state activities seem to be at an all time high. Most of the dialogue pertaining to the state level focused on building the state courier associations and making them better able to become self sufficient to quickly deal with local issues as they arise. The morning educational sessions and closed door MCAA meeting were extremely informative and useful to all attendees but the highlight and most exciting portion of the summit was the trip up to Capitol Hill to meet with 75 Members of Congress and their legislative staffs. Throughout the afternoon MCAA members went from office to office explaining the vital importance of the same day delivery industry and sharing success stories of last minute deliveries of blood and hospital tools or critical equipment for nuclear and electrical power plants. The two harmful pieces of legislation were also discussed with extra emphasis on why they would be so detrimental to the courier industry. The overwhelming response was extremely positive with each congressional office wanting to work with courier industry leaders to find a solution that does not dismantle the historically recognized independent contractor business model. “Holding this much needed event was one of the best decisions this Association has ever made in its 21 year history,” said Mike Gualtieri, MCAA First Vice President. “I am confident that we made a difference today, thanks to all the MCAA members who attended.” The upcoming task will now be carrying the enormous momentum from this successful event back to the district offices. The success of the second Independent Contractor Summit demonstrates that the more Members of Congress that are properly educated on the same day delivery industry and the challenges it faces – the more allies we will have in the future. About the MCAA MCAA is a trade association of approximately 650 mostly locally owned courier companies. Founded in 1987, MCAA has worked to promote and advance the common interests of those engaged in the same day delivery industry throughout the United States and abroad. The Association provides legislative and regulatory activities, educational programs, member benefit programs, increased agent work opportunities, and a quarterly magazine. MCAA holds an annual resort-based convention and an Executive Leadership Series conference. For more information, visit www.mcaa.com.
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