WASHINGTON D.C. -

The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association highlighted how its members continued to expand their already considerable presence in Washington D.C., coming in record numbers to last week’s National Leadership Conference and Legislative Summit.

NIADA reported that more than 175 dealers and industry leaders came from across the country to the nation's capital — the most since the event returned to Washington in 2013 — to meet with federal legislators and regulators and make the voice of the independent dealer and small business heard.

The event concluded Wednesday with the climactic Day on the Hill, when 14 teams of NIADA dealers and industry partners swarmed Capitol Hill and met with 90 members of the Senate and House of Representatives or their legislative staff. That figure obliterated the previous record of 63 meetings set during last year’s event.

“NIADA’s footprint in Washington today is by far the largest it's ever been,” NIADA senior vice president of legal and government affairs Shaun Petersen said. “In the four years since we began doing this, we’ve seen it grown exponentially.

“When we told people we had 180 dealers in 14 teams on the Hill, it really opened some eyes in Congressional offices. That's because of the commitment of NIADA members to be in Washington and make sure their voice is heard,” Petersen continued.

Among the teams were a record 10 representing NIADA's affiliated state associations. Teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida and New Mexico visited all or most of their representatives and senators.

“This was a great opportunity to actually sit down face-to-face with decision-makers and really allow them to understand — not just tell them — our point of view and the issues we’re facing,” said Tamaria Yarbrough of First Class Auto Sales in Pleasant Grove, Ala.

“To actually be able to educate them on how those issues affect our businesses, as well as our customers, is vital,” Yarbrough continued.

 Once again, NIADA’s teams focused on the issues of automotive recalls and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Dealers urged Congress to reject calls for a complete ban on sales of vehicles with open recalls, pointing out that independent dealers by law cannot make recall repairs and grounding those vehicles would have devastating effects on small businesses and consumers.

Operators also expressed support for the Financial CHOICE Act, an alternative to the controversial Dodd-Frank Act that is measure’s author said would make the CFPB more accountable.

In addition, the NIADA contingent pressed senators to act on S. 2663, the companion bill to H.R. 1737, which passed the House overwhelmingly last year. It would rescind the CFPB’s disputed auto financing guidance action regarding dealer discretion on interest rates issued by the CFPB in March 2013 and provide a more transparent and accountable process for dealing with the issue.

Featured speakers at National Leadership Conference events during the week included Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Roger Williams (R-Texas), Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Steve Pearce (R-N.M.).

In addition to legislators, representatives of several federal regulatory agencies spoke to attendees Tuesday, providing regulatory updates and answering specific compliance questions from dealers. The speakers included John McNamara of the CFPB, Lois Greisman of the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Labor branch chief Derrick Witherspoon and Daniel Mosteller of the Department of Justice.

That afternoon, keynote speaker Ralph Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition offered an analysis of the current election season.

And, as always, the event brought together NIADA’s top national leaders as well as those of NIADA’s affiliated state associations to conduct association business, develop their leadership skills and get the latest updates on NIADA legislative, education and business initiatives.

“I'm excited to see this Leadership Conference grow and succeed as it becomes a critical component of NIADA's government affairs initiative,” said NIADA chief executive officer Steve Jordan, who also is among the industry leaders also coming to Used Car Week at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Nov. 14-18.

“Shaun Petersen and his team did a phenomenal job this year building on the momentum we’ve created since we brought this event back to D.C. in 2013,” Jordan continued.

“For as much as we’ve succeeded, we still have much more work to do as we continue to advocate on behalf of our dealers and assist our members in telling their stories,” he went on to say.

NIADA-PAC announces contributions

The Political Action Committee of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association made contributions to Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) in conjunction with last week’s NIADA National Leadership Conference and Legislative Summit in Washington D.C.

In addition, NIADA-PAC announced contributions to Reps. Roger Williams (R-Texas), Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), Steve Pearce (R-Kan.), Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), who highlighted the inaugural Friends of the Auto Industry Congressional Member Reception last Monday.

Donnelly spoke to the association at Tuesday’s PAC Cup dinner, while Cuellar was the featured speaker at a luncheon Wednesday in the Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Building during the NIADA’s Day on the Hill.

“These contributions are crucial as we seek to help officials who are committed to work on behalf of the auto industry and small businesses, both of which are key components to the American economy,” NIADA CEO Steve Jordan said.

Donnelly, Indiana's junior senator, was elected in 2012. Before entering politics he ran a small printing and rubber-stamp business in Indiana, and has been recognized as a strong advocate for small business in the Senate, earning the National Federation of Independent Business' Guardian of Small Business award and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Enterprise award.

Donnelly serves on the Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Subcommittee of the Senate Banking Committee.

In his remarks, Donnelly told independent dealers their job is “to build great opportunities with your customers to take care of their needs — not only this time, but time after time after time. And our job (in government) is to try to stay out of your way as much as we possibly can, to let you make your dream come true, to take care of your customers, to see smiles on their faces and to keep moving our country forward.”

Donnelly expressed concern about the negative impact on small business of the many federal regulatory agencies, particularly the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

“I'm an elected representative of Indiana,” he said. “I am not part of a regulatory government agency. If we regulated like some of them, we'd all be thrown out on election day. … That’s where the CFPB has to understand it’s not all academic. It’s not all on a piece of paper. It’s real life.”

Like Donnelly, Cuellar also criticized overregulation by the CFPB and others, telling dealers that Congress must create “legislation to stop the bad regulations that might affect you and try to either change it, modify it or stop it completely.”

Cuellar is considered one of the most bipartisan legislators and has supported numerous pro-small business bills since he began representing south Texas in Congress in 2005. This year he was one of four Democrats to vote for a financial services appropriation bill that included proposals to restructure the CFPB and make it more transparent and accountable.

Cuellar told dealers their annual visit to Washington is important to educate legislators about their industry and how policies set in Washington affect them in the real world. But he added that process must continue when the dealers return home and urged them to invite their Representatives and Senators to visit their businesses.

“You can e-mail, you can send a letter, you can make a phone call, but there is nothing like sitting down with a member of Congress or a Senator or their key staff and explaining how something is positive or something is negative,” he said. "That is why it's very important for you to keep making these trips.

“There's nothing like a show and tell. What does that mean? If you want members to understand your industry better, invite them to your industry. … Whenever you have time, invite them over to come down and sit down with you. … Everybody has a member of Congress. Everybody has two Senators. Invite them over whenever you can. … Go over the rules and regs you have to deal with."

Monday's reception featured Williams, himself a dealer in Weatherford, Texas, who said the used-vehicle industry is “where the rubber meets the road. That’s the community. That’s the Little League team. That’s the Little Miss Texas. That's what we are every single day. We're fighting for that and it's my honor to be able to represent all of you in Congress.”

Yoder — like Williams, a member of the Congressional Auto Caucus — praised the dealers in attendance for their tenacity as well as taking the initiative to make the trip to D.C.

“We know most of the jobs in this country are created by small business owners, entrepreneurs, people getting up every day and putting every ounce of their retirement, everything they've got into their business," he said. And they watch Washington D.C. put more burdens and pressure on them every single day.

“We get that, but you coming up here and reminding us of that is very helpful, because this town is very forgetful. We’re happy to be soldiers in the army for free enterprise and entrepreneurship and opportunity for every American, and it starts with mom and pop companies all across this country.”

NIADA PAC Cup stays in the Southeast region

Region II — the Southeast — won the NIADA PAC Cup fundraising competition for the third consecutive year.

Region II, which includes the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, raised $29,000 in contributions to the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association’s Political Action Committee to again claim the prize, which was awarded last week during the NIADA National Leadership Conference and Legislative Summit in Washington D.C.

The PAC Cup competition, in its third year, pits the association’s four regions in a competition to raise the most money for the NIADA-PAC fund between the NIADA Convention and Expo in June and the National Leadership Conference. The winning region receives the PAC Cup trophy — and, of course, bragging rights.

Between them, the four regions contributed $79,850 to the NIADA-PAC fund, a record for the competition, surpassing last year’s total by more than $23,000.

Region II narrowly defeated Region III (Midwest), which raised $27,350. Region I (Northeast) was third, followed by Region IV (West).

As always, NIADA highlighted the competition came down the final minute, with dealers from all four regions making contributions during the annual PAC Cup dinner Tuesday, trying to push their region over the top. More than $61,000 was contributed during the NLC, which began Monday.

“This is an important event for us because the funds raised will advance our industry and help elect legislators who will work to support our industry and small business,” said NIADA president Billy Threadgill of Van’s Auto Sales in Florence, S.C. “The winners here are all of our dealer members.”

NIADA-PAC was created to enhance the association's mission to promote and protect the interests of the used-vehicle industry and NIADA's dealer members nationwide. NIADA-PAC supports Congressional members and candidates who seek to protect “this vital industry and keep the economic engine of small business running strong,” according to the association.