My whole team has bi-weekly calls with the Government Affairs Committee to plan out and go through our agenda and decide on our priorities . We ’ re also available to them at a moment ’ s notice for questions or issues that came up . For example , the Federal Trade Commission recently came out with a policy that basically bans non-compete clauses between employers and employees . That caught some of the members ’ attention . We discussed it but decided that at this time we should just keep an eye on this proposal .
We are a federal lobbying firm , but we have helped the association with state-level issues too . They have asked for our opinions on the issues , strategies and tactics that people on the ground can use .
CLDA Mag : You personally serve in a dual capacity , right ?
Meade : Yes , I ’ m both chairman of the firm as well as client leader for the CLDA . I have a long history with the association , and I bring my contacts , ties and knowledge of their issues to the table , so it makes sense that I head the team . I work with four other professionals from the firm who are dedicated to CLDA . We also bring in other members of Prime when their experience and contacts could be useful .
CLDA Mag : What is your most important focus right now ?
Meade : At the core of our work for CLDA is the use of independent contractors and the independent contractor business model that has come under attack . Sometimes we tackle issues of concern . For example , we have helped the association take a stand about the tax treatment of independent contractors . There was a proposed revision in the federal tax law that could have affected the use of independent contractors . We were able to successfully stop that legislation . When control of Congress changed , we went on offense and sought out legislation to put that tax provision on firmer ground in the tax code . There have also been attacks on the use of the independent contractor through the Fair Labor Standards Act when we ’ ve made our position known on those proposals .
CLDA Mag : From where you sit , where do you see these issues going ?
Meade : They are still in flux . At the end of the Trump administration , they put out a rule that was more favorable to the independent contractor model . That was a positive thing and we helped influence that rule . Unfortunately , the Biden administration has sought to claw back that rule . Right now , they are trying to replace it with something that we believe will be unfavorable towards the use of independent contractors . There are many provisions of that federal rule that we see as very problematic in terms of how they define who is a contractor is versus who is an employee . As a result , we put together comments that we sent to the Department of Labor outlining our concerns with the proposed regulation . We have been sharing that with our friends on Capitol Hill and plan to do follow-up meetings with those offices . We also plan to go to the Small Business Administration and its Office of Advocacy . That office helps small businesses push back when agencies put out harmful regulations or policies . We ’ ll tell them that we think the Department of Labor may gone too far and that it will harm some small businesses with this regulation . And then finally , we ’ re going to go into the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor to make our case as to why we think this proposed rule is harmful . CLDA
Have an issue that ’ s affecting your business or a concern about legislation ? Get in touch with
Mark Cossack , chair of CLDA ’ s Government Affairs Committee . Better yet why not join and become an active part of defending our industry ? The work of this committee is funded by CLDA ’ s Advocacy Fund . Your donation to this committee supports their year-round advocacy for your business success .
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