Anne Stone, PPAI’s director of advocacy and member engagement, was in Washington, D.C. earlier this week to meet with legislators’ staffs to continue discussions on legislation in the Senate that could curb government agencies’ use of promotional products.
Last month, PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, and Stephanie Critchfield, vice president and national sales manager at distributor The Vernon Company, opened the door for the conversation when they visited the offices of Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who introduced the bill, “S.2722, A bill to prohibit agencies from using federal funds for publicity or propaganda purposes, and for other purposes,” and also referred to as the “Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government Act,” or the SWAG Act. The visit came just days after Sen. Ernst introduced the bill, which would prohibit federal agencies from spending on promotional products to promote themselves and their programs.
In D.C., Stone met with staff members from the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management; the office of Sen. Ernst; and of Sen. Steve Daines, a co-sponsor of the legislation. Their discussions focused on potential refinements for the bill as it is reviewed by the subcommittee and the larger Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
