WASHINGTON, D.C., 05/25/2021 – Next week, nearly 40 executives from 12 Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) member companies will meet with nearly 50 congressional offices on legislative issues affecting America’s family-owned wine and spirits distributors. Virtual meetings this year are focused on introducing new members of Congress to the wine and spirits distributors in their states and districts while educating staff on the economic impact the industry has at the local, state and federal levels of government.
“The WSWA Fly-In is one of our favorite weeks of the year. Even in a virtual environment, telling the story of the important responsibility filled by America’s wine and spirits distributors is best done by the leaders in the multi-generational, family-owned businesses in our industry,” said WSWA President and CEO Michelle Korsmo. “Our meetings with long-standing and new members of Congress help them understand the important role America’s three-tier system of alcohol distribution plays in the health and safety of their constituents and the current marketplace issues that put this global standard at risk.”
WSWA members will meet with nearly 50 congressional offices via Zoom to discuss the important legislative issues impacting wholesalers today, including opposition to HR 3287 or the USPS Shipping Equity Act, and tariffs on European wine and spirits, as well as support for full funding for trade practice enforcement by the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), initiatives to fight impaired driving, and the federal regulation of adult-use cannabis.
The 2021 Virtual Fly-In kicks off this week with a members-only Federal Policy Conference which includes speakers like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Senator Dave Joyce (R-OH), who will touch on topics like the tax implications of President Biden’s infrastructure plan, how the Biden Administration’s approach to ongoing trade disputes will impact tariffs on European wine and spirits and a general policy update from Senator Schumer.
“Meeting with our congressional representatives is vital to ensuring they are aware of the critical role wholesalers are playing in the recovery of the hospitality industry in a post-covid economy, as well as putting names and faces to the jobs, community-based programs and entrepreneurship taking place in their communities. We’re proud of the work we’re doing to help develop the small independent alcohol producers, to serve and support the restaurants, bars and hotels reopening, and continue to deliver wine and spirits to the most dynamic marketplace the world has ever seen,” said WSWA Chairman Chris Underwood of Republic National Distributing West’s Board of Managers.
WSWA members attending the virtual Fly-In include Republic National Distributing Company, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Breakthru Beverage Group, Winebow, Ruby Wines, United Wine & Spirits, Murphy Distributing, Eder Bros., Imperial Beverage, Great Lakes Wine & Spirits, Opici Family Distributing and Allied Beverage Group.
Wine and spirits wholesalers employ more than 88,000 Americans across every state and congressional district who earn a collective $7.3 billion in annual wages as part of an industry that generates $45 billion in tax revenue each year.
Click HERE to learn about the economic impact of wine and spirits wholesalers nationally, or by state, congressional district, state senate district, or state house district.
About Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America
WSWA is the national trade association representing the distribution tier of the wine and spirits industry, dedicated to advancing the interests and independence of distributors and brokers of wine and spirits. Founded in 1943, WSWA has more than 380 member companies in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and its members distribute more than 80 percent of all wine and spirits sold at wholesale in the United States.
To learn more, please visit www.wswa.org or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
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