Federal Issues

Every two years a new Congress is sworn in and takes their seats in Washington, D.C. On January 6, 2009, the 111th Congress of the United States was sworn in and began conducting the business of the people. In addition, on January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. All previous legislative business of the 110th Congress became null and void, and only bills filed in the 111th Congress will be considered.

The ARA government affairs committee meets every year to fully consider the association’s legislative agenda for the coming year.  The committee also schedules conference calls as needed to update legislative issues and propose policy positions to the ARA board of directors. The government affairs committee has identified the following issue areas: taxes, health care, transportation, the economy, work place issues, and immigration. The latest background and policy information on these issues is available on these pages.