ILMA Compoundings - January 2021 - 31

and health care, that ILMA and
its members likely will face in the
new Congress. Holly Alfano, Matt
Levetown and I see part of our jobs for
ILMA to be identifying those issues
and then helping ILMA members
navigate the government to get the
desired results. The question becomes
how can ILMA and its members
be " friends " on Capitol Hill - that
is, educate lawmakers on a particular
piece of legislation - while the
pandemic continues?
I remain convinced that a key
building block in ILMA's government
affairs program is for Association
members to develop and maintain
relationships with their members of
Congress. I have maintained since day
one that ILMA members themselves

are the most effective advocates. As
constituents, you have a more powerful voice in influencing lawmakers.
In the past, ILMA has encouraged
its members to schedule plant tours
with their elected representatives as
one path to getting to know lawmakers. The connection is real, and it
helps establish the credibility when an
important issue comes along. With
today's reliance on virtual online
meetings, it should be even easier for
ILMA members to connect with their
lawmakers. For example, why not
arrange a virtual introductory conference with a member of Congress
along with others in the local business
community? Similar virtual calls can
be held with the lawmaker's field
staff. Keep in mind that the Congress
members' staffs can be essential allies,
so do not think of your time with
them as a waste. The purpose is to
introduce you and ILMA as reliable
sources of information. The time
investment is not great, and the return
on this investment can be significant,
particularly in helping to guide a
lawmaker's position or thinking on
an issue. ILMA can help set up these
online introductory meetings, as well
as provide briefing materials and assist
with the technology.
A logical question is how is it
possible to communicate digitally and
successfully if everyone is doing the
same thing to get their messages across
on Capitol Hill? Since the pandemic
hit, ILMA has tried to leverage its
government affairs resources, in part,
by participating in coalitions. As an
example, ILMA has been a member
of a coalition of " essential businesses "

seeking liability protection for remaining open throughout the pandemic.
As a member of this coalition, ILMA
has had direct contact with key lawmakers and their staffs, including from
the Senate majority leader's office.
We have been able to explain ILMA
members' key roles in keeping the
economy going. Again, by teaming
up with other local businesses, ILMA
is one of the most effective means to
educate lawmakers. ILMA also can
leverage the importance of lubricants
to our economy - that is, our society
is dependent on them.
If an issue bubbles up in Congress,
ILMA can schedule a virtual Capitol
Hill day to provide policy advice
and information to lawmakers. Such
online meetings can be a vital source
of intelligence. Post-Capitol Hill follow-up, including social media posts
and news releases, gives ILMA and its
members another chance at sharing
information. However, because there
also is the increased prospect for
communications with members of
Congress to be taken out of context
down the road off of social media,
assume that anything you put in
writing could appear on the internet
or in the media.
This month's discussion shows
how ILMA has, and is, retooling its
advocacy on Capitol Hill. Please help
the Association be a friend by joining
the effort! Best for 2021.
Leiter serves as general
counsel to ILMA, representing
the Association since 1981.
He may be reached at
202-466-6502 or jleiter@bmalaw.net

31
ILMA Compoundings - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings - January 2021
