While it may seem just like yesterday that we were advocating for Congress to approve a long-term authorization bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), we are now nine months away from the program expiring. While to many this may seem like plenty of time to secure another long-term bill, for Congress it is hardly any time at all.
According to a 2017 report by Research and Markets, the global e-learning market is set to grow by seven percent to $331 billion by 2025. This growth is driven by demand for distance learning, government programs, increased global reach of the internet and e-learning platforms, and greater investment opportunities around the world. In 2010, the global e-learning market was just $32.1 billion, meaning there’s been a 1,000 percent increase in the e-learning economy in less than a decade!
Earlier this week, we at NACD launched a grassroots alert on our Chemical ReACTions website requesting that our members contact their U.S. Senators urging them to support Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal. Since its implementation in 1976, GSP as a trade program has benefited American companies and workers by cutting tariffs (i.e., taxes) on nearly 5,000 imported products. But it expired Dec. 31, 2017, costing American companies including dozens of NACD members millions of dollars a day while they wait for Congress to renew it.
President Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this week provided an interesting glimpse into his priorities for 2018 and beyond. For the first time in more than 20 years, a sitting president highlighted the importance of infrastructure development as one of the top priorities for his administration this year. Given the economic environment as well as the regulatory climate, what other good things can we expect from this president? His speech on Tuesday gives us an idea.
The 6th cycle of Responsible Distribution is well underway with the first year of its three-year cycle. We kicked off the cycle in 2017 with the launch of a new online dashboard tool, a renewed sense of continuous improvement, and dedication to improved resources.
The beginning of a new year brings time for reflection on goals accomplished in the last twelve months and challenges ahead that we need to tackle. As we enter President Trump’ s second year in office, not to mention a midterm election year, we need to be laser-focused on the key policy issues most impacting chemical distributors.
Closing out 2017, we find ourselves on the precipice of witnessing Congress pass the biggest tax overhaul since 1986. The last tax reform was three decades ago, and Congress has struggled on thorny tax debates ever since. We can all agree (Democrats, Republicans, or others) that the overly complicated and burdensome U.S. tax code is due for a major update.
Today, November 8, is National STEM Day, and now more than ever we must recognize the need to foster our youth to pursue careers in the sciences. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) job opportunities in the U.S. are growing. As we look to the future of our economy and our workforce, STEM education – and specifically chemistry – is a critical part of driving innovation to improve and advance our everyday lives.
Over the last few years, some members of Congress have emphasized the need for reforming our nation’s health care system. While many efforts were aimed at dismantling Obamacare, doing so has not proven easy. Republicans, particularly in the Senate, were unable to find a consensus on a path for reform. In response, President Trump took matters into his own hands through an executive order directing federal agencies to find ways to increase competition and lower costs through association health plans.
In celebration of this year’s National Chemistry Week, NACD joined with the American Chemical Society and the American Chemistry Council to hold the first-ever Chemistry Expo on Capitol Hill, bringing members of our industry together with members of the Congressional Chemistry Caucus to highlight innovations in the industry and STEM education.