Don't expect much from Congress, NHFA told
By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, March 17, 2002
ORLANDO, Fla. — The furniture industry shouldn't expect much from the current U.S. Congress.
John Satagaj, the National Home Furnishings Assn.'s Washington lobbyist, outlined the federal legislative picture at the trade group's convention here.
And he doesn't expect great changes in Washington after this year's congressional elections. "The next Congress is going to look exactly like this one, and we can expect more of the same, which is nothing," he said.
Satagaj said he and other business lobbyists are eager to maintain the temporary estate and income tax rate cuts of 2001. "Our goal is to at least hold on to what we've got and, if possible, make them permanent," he said.
The industry can look forward to some form of consumer bankruptcy law reform "in the next two months," he said. Also forthcoming should be some sort of best-practices statement on ergonomics from the Labor Department.
Another item of interest is a possible agreement on interstate sales tax collection. He said 38 states seem to be on board for that, but he couldn't predict when it would be finalized.
Satagaj warned that businesses should expect no relief from Congress on the rising costs of health insurance. "If there is something about which Congress does not have a clue, it's the degree to which your health care costs are going out of control," he said.
On the economy, he said, "I know for a fact that we are indeed out of the recession and on the road to recovery, because Congress has passed an economic stimulus bill."
He suggested that such a bill would be far less likely if the economy were still in recession, and noted the bill includes "zero provisions" encouraging consumers to spend money.
| Satagaj |
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