FOREST HILL, Maryland -- The WMMA has honored two of its members as recipients of the 2018 WMMA Patriot Award. According to WMMA’s Dan Bond, the Patriot Award is designed to recognize member companies that actively participate in legislative and regulatory issues that impact the industry.

The recipients of the 2018 award hosted members of Congress at their companies, had representatives actively participate in the WMMA Industry Washington fly-ins, and

participated in the annual Manufacturing Day in October, a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.

The WMMA presented the 2018 WMMA Patriot Awards to Mereen-Johnson LLC of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Air Handling Systems of Woodbridge, Connecticut.

In mid-June, WMMA led an industry coalition to press Congress on the most important policy issues for the woodworking industry. Attendees met with members of Congress and staff from two dozen offices to support funding for career technical education, including Perkins Act reauthorization, healthcare reform, relief from steel tariffs and confirmation of the Export-Import Bank Board of Directors.

Patrick Hillmann, vice president of advocacy at the National Association of Manufacturers, briefed attendees on various policy activities and scenarios leading up to the midterm elections. During the WMMA fly-in, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released their version of the Perkins Reauthorization bill, a bipartisan effort between Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Patty Murray (D-Washington). The House version of Perkins Reauthorization passed a year earlier during the June 2017 fly-in.

Also, the WMMA has joined the National Association of Manufacturers and other leading manufacturing associations to deliver a joint letter to the Office of Management and Budget urging them to help advance commonsense reforms to compel federal agencies to weigh the costs and benefits of new regulations affecting manufacturers before enacting any new rules. See http://wmma.org.