NAFA Visits Capitol Hill to Lend Perspective to Issues Important to Fleet and Mobility

On September 28 and 29, NAFA's U.S. Legislative Counsel Patrick O'Connor and NAFA Vice President Jeff Jeter met with individuals in Washington, D.C., to strategize legislation that will be beneficial to the fleet and mobility industry. This was part of a two-day "fly-in" that concluded with participation in congressional briefings and congressional visits. They were joined by Keith Leech, Chief, Fleet Division and Parking Enterprise, County of Sacramento; Maria Neve, Government Sales Manager, Merchants Fleet Management; Erin Gilchrist, Director, Fleet, Safelite Group; Oleg Cytowicz, Global Fleet Lead Senior Analyst NA Fleet Ops, Unilever; Robert Martinez, Deputy Commissioner, New York City Police Department; and Richard Battersby, Fleet Manager, City of Oakland.

Some of the topics discussed were:

•   Mileage-based user fees, which would impose a fee determined by how many miles a vehicle travels versus a tax from the purchase of fuel
•   Reinstatement of federal tax credits for biodiesel, propane and natural gas
•   Continued funding for the Clean Cities and DERA programs
•   Cybersecurity, autonomous, and connected vehicles, with consideration to the increase of, and vulnerabilities inherent to, connected-car technologies
•   A wide-ranging view of vehicle and road safety issues
•   Changing the point of obligation concerning the Renewable Fuel Standard and H.R.3264, the Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel, and Alternative Fuels Extension Act of 2017

Among other meetings, NAFA's representatives spoke with Senate Commerce Committee staff on pending autonomous vehicle legislation. NAFA and several other organizations have been urging lawmakers to add an amendment to establish a federal vehicle data access standard to preserve real-time access to vehicle data for motor vehicle owners and lessees until Congress acts on a federal data access advisory committee’s report.

As the authority for government standards in fleet management, NAFA propels the fleet and mobility profession through continued advocacy. Meetings such as these affirm the Association's position as a thriving organization of industry stakeholders working together for a resilient, sustainable future, and assure all NAFA Members a seat at the table.

NAFA thanks the following for their collaborative efforts: Faye Francy, Executive Director, AutoISAC; Barbara Rohde, Executive Director, Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance; Shashunga Clayton, Director, Outreach, and Education,. U.S. Department of Transportation; Steve Gehring, V.P. of Vehicle Safety & Connected Automation, Global Automakers; Jane Terry, Director, Government Affairs, National Safety Council; Greg Scott, Washington Representative, American Car Rental Association; Mike Cammisa, V.P. of Safety Policy, American Trucking Associations; David Fialkov, V.P., Government Relations, Legislative & Regulatory Counsel, NATSO; and Cherilyn Pascoe, Professional Staff, Senate Commerce Committee.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
http://www.nafa.org/