Legislative Agenda: 2015, The Year of Reform?

As the 114th Congress gets settled in nice and comfortable this month, it will be time for the United States government to get down to the business of effecting change in the lives of 316 million Americans. Or, at least, that's what our dedicated servants pledge the day they are sworn in. Actual results may vary.

The balance of President Obama's term should be entertaining, if not effective, or perhaps a combination of both. The U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives are now under Republican control. Will the president adopt a more centrist approach, as Bill Clinton had done nearly 20 years ago, or will his final two years in office be marked by inactivity? (Insert the "Why change course now?" Republican joke here.)

OK, we're not here to pick sides, but we do want to advocate for the printing industry lobby. And given the interesting political climate that has taken shape—including a hostile Congress—there are a number of factors at play that could possibly set the stage for meaningful and positive legislation from the printing lobby point of view.

There are a handful of key reform issues—taxes, patents and postal—that could actually see action before the end of the Obama Administration. And, at the risk of completely jinxing the chances of meaningful legislation, we're going to go out on a limb here and predict action, in 2015, on the question of patent troll reform.

We are lucky to have the Printing Industries of America's (PIA)No. 1 lobbyist, Vice President of Government Affairs Lisbeth Lyons, to help us navigate the tricky waters of legislation and understand the players and their roles in making or breaking the prospects for positive change. Politics is an inexact science, but hopefully we'll help make better sense of the main talking points that impact the lives of those working in the printing industry.