Seriousness Builds for Build Back Better Plan
What the printing industry CAN influence, however, is the final size, scope and content of the potential law. Already, President Biden has reduced the size of the Build Back Better plan from $3.5 trillion to $2 trillion or less. This means as government spending is cut from the original plan, the “revenue raisers” — i.e., tax increases, regulatory fees and penalties, and employer mandates needed to pay for the bill so that it will “cost nothing” — also decrease. Zeroing in on these specific revenue raisers — and combating or mitigating the impact of them — is what PRINTING United Alliance members and the industry can do NOW to influence any final impact of the Build Back Better Act.
PRINTING United Alliance has identified a host of concerning provisions and urges printing industry advocates to weigh in now with their Senators and Representatives to oppose Build Back Better provisions that hinder economic and job growth, particularly as key print customer sectors struggle to recover from the pandemic and as supply chain woes create new cost pressures. While it might be tempting view the Capitol Hill deal making or deal breaking as a far-away drama, the printing industry must in fact stay aware and take grassroots action in real-time until the bitter end of Build Back Better debate.
PRINTING United Alliance’s online Advocacy Center provides lawmaker contact information and tools for you to easily communicate policy positions to your elected officials. Access this resource here: PRINTING United Alliance Advocacy Center.
Lisbeth Lyons is Vice President, Government & Political Affairs, PRINTING United Alliance, the largest, most comprehensive graphic arts trade association in the country. With more than 20 years of experience representing the voice of business on Capitol Hill, Lisbeth advocates for public policies that protect and advance the economic future of the printing and packaging industry. She oversees PRINTING United Alliance’s legislative, political, and grassroots advocacy initiatives, and has served in executive leadership of multiple successful advocacy campaigns, such as Coalition for Paper Options, Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, and Stop Tariffs on Printers & Publishers Coalition.
Prior to representing PRINTING United Alliance, Lisbeth served in similar roles at Printing Industries of America, US Telecom, and the National Federation of Independent Business. She also spent three years as a K-12 teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system, where she was on the forefront of urban education reform in the mid-1990s.
Lisbeth is Midwestern born and bred, having grown up in the St. Louis metropolitan area and attended college at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, before starting her career in Washington, DC. She holds a B.A. in English/Sociology and a professional graduate certificate from The George Washington University School of Political Management. She lives in the historic Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC.
An avid leader and learner in professional development, Lisbeth was a founding member of the Government Relations Leadership Forum, and is an active participant in organizations such as Council of Manufacturing Associations, Women in Government Relations, and National Association of Business PACs, among others. Lisbeth is often a featured speaker at premier industry conferences; she has spoken to Boards of Directors, corporate executive management teams, and state and regional trade associations across the country from coast to coast.
