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WHITE HOUSE OPEN TO GAS TAX HIKE
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest
hinted that the White House could be open to supporting a
bipartisan gas tax increase, but said it would rather use
corporate tax reform to fix the depleted Highway Trust Fund
(HFT). The bipartisan proposal that was suggested was
Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Bob Corker's (R-TN)
proposal to raise the gas tax by 12 cents. Meanwhile, Senate
Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) as well as
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said
earlier this week that Congress should at least consider
raising the gas tax to avoid another funding shortfall that
will occur in a few months. However, House Transportation
Committee Chairman Bill Shuster reiterated his opposition to
a gas tax hike.
Since 2008, Congress has transferred $54 billion into the
Highway Trust Fund, mostly from the General Fund, to
maintain solvency. The motor fuels tax has not been raised
since 1993.
HOUSE APPROVES KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
Senate to Follow
Yesterday, the House overwhelmingly approved
legislation that would authorize construction of the
Keystone XL pipeline. The bill was introduced by new House
Energy and Commerce Committee member Kevin Cramer (R-ND).
Additionally, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee approved similar legislation yesterday and the
full Senate is expected to pass it early next week. It is
expected that several energy related amendments will be
attached to the underlying Senate legislation given Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) promise to allow an
open amendment process.
PMAA fully supports the
immediate approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Unfortunately, President Obama said he would veto the
Keystone pipeline approval legislation. It's unlikely both
the House and the Senate have the necessary votes to
override the President. Some political insiders believe
Obama might ultimately approve the pipeline in return for
some GOP concessions regarding Democrats’ priorities.
HIGHEST DOLLAR AND PERCENTAGE WINNER ANNOUNCED
Gerry Ramm and
Michael Fields, co-chairs of the 2014 PMAA SBC PAC, proudly
announce the "highest dollar contributed" award to Gary
Harris and Doug Howey and the North Carolina Petroleum &
Convenience Marketers Association (NCPCM) and the "highest
percentage raised" award to Brad Bell and Lea Wilson and
Washington Oil Marketers Association (WOMA)!
Until
2013, Gary Harris and Doug Howey and the North Carolina
Petroleum & Convenience Marketers Association (NCPCM)
consistently won the award for the highest contributing
state since 2005. In 2013, Brad Bell and Lea Wilson set a
goal to have the highest dollar contributed in 2013, and
with their hard work, they secured the top spot for WOMA.
That top spot only lasted a year when Gary Harris and Doug
Howey raised $16,200 or 210 percent of their state goal. Way
to go, Doug and Gary!
In recent years WOMA has
consistently won the award for highest percentage
contributor. In 2014 WOMA raised $13,480 or 596 percent of
their state goal to continue their winning streak.
PMAA Small Business Committee 2014 PAC co-chairs Gerry Ramm
and Michael Fields would also like to thank the following
states for meeting or exceeding their 2014 PAC fundraising
goal: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, IOMA, New Mexico, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin,
and Wyoming.
PMAA’S MARKETER DEFENSE FUND NAMES TOP 2014 ASSOCIATION CONTRIBUTORS
PMAA would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge
the Top Four Associations for their achievements to their
state’s contributions supporting PMAA’s 2014 Marketer
Defense Fund (MDF):
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New England Fuel Institute (NEFI) raised $10,996 (#1 in
2012),
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Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store
Association (IPCA) raised $10,651 (#2 in 2012 and #1 in
2013),
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Pennsylvania Petroleum Association (PPA) raised $6,885 (#4
in 2012 and 2013),
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California Independent Oil Marketers Association (CIOMA)
raised $6,814.
It is important to congratulate North Carolina Petroleum &
Convenience Marketers (NCPCM) who raised $6,230 (#3 in 2013)
and Nebraska Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store
Association (NPCA) who raised $6,460 for their efforts in this
campaign.
This national program does not set annual
state goals like PMAA’ Small Business Committee Political
Action Committee (SBC PAC). Unlike PAC funds, the MDF Program
does not make donations to candidates. Therefore, corporate
donations are accepted and the monies raised for this special
fund are primarily used to strengthen our lobbying efforts on
Capitol Hill for special projects, personnel or materials.
Eleven (down from 13 in 2013 and 17 in 2012) member
associations included an additional contribution to MDF with
their member dues throughout the entire year. Most donations
are through marketers and their companies solicited from a
database not the state association. We are thrilled to report
that the MDF increased income by over six percent over 2013!
PMAA values each and every donation we receive and will
continue to appreciate any additional support. For information
on contributing to the PMAA Marketers Defense Fund, please
contact Susan Isard at
703-351-8000.
PMAA MEMBER SERVICES SPOTLIGHT FEATURING: STAPLES ADVANTAGE®
In the upcoming year,
PMAA /
Staples Advantage program will strive to continue to be
your one-stop shopping destination by adding new items to
our inventory on a weekly basis, having access to our
non-stock procurement team for items that we don't normally
stock, and by having dedicated specialists available to you
for print, furniture, technology and janitorial/sanitation
products. We can get just about anything that you need so if
you don't see what you are looking for on your Staples
Advantage site, just ask! Together we can make 2015 a
fantastic year!
Don't forget that we offer a Convenience Card that can be
used for purchases in your local retail Staples store and
your purchases are linked to your Staples Advantage contract
pricing and are invoiced in the same manner they are when
you make your online purchases and you receive the best
pricing available, whether it's the sale price offered in
the store or your Staples Advantage contract price. We also
offer a Procurement Card which allows employees to link
their credit cards to the account to experience the savings
by making purchases in the stores and getting the Staples
Advantage contract pricing. If you are interested in
learning more about either of these cards, please let me
know.
Our
new 2015 Full Line catalog is available and you can
contact customer service to order catalogs at no charge or
order them when you place your next order online--the item
number is 1204574. Our outstanding customer service team is
always available to assist with placing and tracking orders
and they can schedule returns for you as well and they can
be reached at 877-826-7755. If you have any questions about
your invoices, our invoice inquiry department can be reached
at 888-753-4101.
To find out more about making Staples your one source for
all of your business needs, learning more about Convenience
Card or Procurement Card or to check for further discounts
or a custom program when ordering large ticket technology,
furniture, bulk purchases and custom printing,
please contact PMAA’s New National Inside Account Consultant
Tim Janson
or 888.224.3784 extension 4508. You can also call Staples
Customer Service at 877.826.7755 or
Order@StaplesAdvantage.com.
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