A Stronger, United Voice

Member involvement is critical to ELFA’s government relations strategy

ELFA is the platform for the equipment finance industry to advocate for public policy issues at the federal and state levels. This platform effectively takes the interests of more than 575 member companies and creates one strong voice that strengthens our impact on policy issues. At Capitol Connections, May 16–17 in Washington, D.C., members will advocate on behalf of the industry. Capitol Connections is just one component of the association’s government relations strategy, which is like a three-legged stool balancing lobbying, grassroots mobilization and political involvement in the formation of the industry’s voice. By merging all three into our government relations strategy, we create a united voice.

Lobbying

Lobbying is the education of government officials on the effects of a policy on our industry. Elected officials come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and most of them are not from the equipment finance sector. Because of this variety, they do not always know the subtle details essential to operating an equipment finance company. ELFA legislative staff monitor proposed laws and rules, know the impact of the financial standing of our industry, and then tell elected and administrative officials, as well as their staffs, how a proposed law could be interpreted. As we saw during the debate on tax changes last year, being a strong, united voice is essential to provide the industry’s perspective on policy changes.

Grassroots Mobilization

Sometimes lobbying by ELFA staff isn’t enough to convince a government official that a policy is right or wrong for the industry and country. It takes a local voice, or industry expert, to relay the message. This is where ELFA’s Online Advocacy Information Center, Capitol Connections and district-level visit programs create the next leg on our stool. The Online Advocacy Information Center provides member companies’ employees with information about the people and policies that impact their jobs and the broader industry as well as tools to inform employees about upcoming elections and how to cast your voice via the ballot box.

Both the Capitol Connections and district-level visit programs are geared toward bringing the voice of our industry to elected officials, giving firsthand accounts to policymakers on regulations that affect the everyday lives of member companies’ employees. Elected officials like and need to hear from those who man the front lines of our economy each day. Sharing your voice, introducing them to the employees who work within their states and partnering that with all the other voices from our industry companies increases the volume and helps us stand out.

Political Involvement

Political involvement at the minimum is knowing which candidates running for office understand and support the industry and then voting for those candidates. Political involvement can go further than just voting. Running a campaign takes volunteers. Perhaps a candidate in your area needs someone to help introduce him or her to other community members. Or the candidate may need help walking your neighborhood and meeting your neighbors. These activities can help push an industry candidate into an elected position and make you a valuable resource to them when they need to know how a policy will affect your company.

Running a campaign also takes money to pay top staffers, run political ads and travel around a district. To help create that stronger, united voice, ELFA formed its own political action committee, LeasePAC, to collect voluntary contributions from hundreds of employees at ELFA member companies and pool those funds to make contributions to candidates who share our values. The LeasePAC Committee, composed of employees from ELFA companies and chaired this year by James Cress, oversees all LeasePAC activities. To find out more about LeasePAC, please visit the LeasePAC website.

How  You Can Get Involved

Visit the Online Advocacy Information Center to read issue briefs and talking points. The Information Center also provides employees with information on registering to vote, polling places and election dates. You can find tools to locate and contact your legislators at both the state and federal levels. We encourage member companies to share these resource tools with their employees to broaden the base of knowledge and empower them to be active in the political process.

Participate in Outreach: Sign up for Capitol Connections by April 13 or offer to host a legislator at your offices. Working to develop relationships now with those who make policy decisions helps us to be a stronger voice when we need to find advocates to hear our side in the debate. Perhaps you know your state or federal representative and are willing to contact that person when issues arise. Having assistance from a local ELFA volunteer, especially for issues at the state level, can translate into a victory for our industry. As ELFA continues to build relationships with targeted elected officials, knowing that you are a neighbor or friend, serve on similar boards or go to religious services with one of those officials can help as we build our grassroots plan.

To be a stronger, united voice, it is imperative that we engage those who represent us so our policy issues are heard and acted on in a manner that helps us provide economic growth to our country. An informed and engaged membership is the core of ELFA and its government relations strategy. ELFA works to provide a variety of resources to our members to keep you current on policy issues and events. We need you to carry the message on critical issues to policymakers at the federal and state levels. Together we can make a difference.