May 2026 Advocacy Updates
Welcome to Our Newest Committee Members
We're delighted to share that two non-board members have agreed to join the NIFDA Advocacy Committee: Larry Severini (Embroidery Solutions) and Jose Barreto (Glendale Parade). We are thrilled to have both of them lending their time and expertise to our advocacy work.
Jose is already hard at work on NIFDA's behalf. While in Washington for Police Week last week, he met with staffers for Representative Chip Roy (TX-21) and Representative Nick Langworthy (NY-23) to advance the Make American Flags in America Act. We're grateful for his early and enthusiastic engagement. Larry has been working with us for a few years now behind the scenes as a part of FMAA's advocacy representation, and it's great to get him formally into NIFDA's meetings.
State Flag Legislation Landing Page
The committee is developing a new State Flag legislation landing page - a research and lobbying initiative we're very excited about. The working group is currently thinking through the best way to roll this out to NIFDA members, and we'll share more details as the project takes shape.
Liz Morris (Freedom and Glory)
NCTO Annual Meeting and Policy Updates
Liz Morris (Freedom and Glory) attended the NCTO Annual Meeting last month on behalf of NIFDA. It was a productive trip, with real momentum building around our policy priorities. A few highlights from our work with NCTO over the past month:
Make American Flags in America Act: The bill picked up seven new co-sponsors in April (!!) and was featured prominently in NCTO's policy materials this year. At the NCTO annual conference, there was clear evidence that having our own bill is generating real traction in every Hill meeting — which is especially encouraging as we work with NCTO and FMAA on a strategic bill to introduce in the 2027 Congress.
Country of Origin Labeling Requirement Act (COOL Online Act): We're getting encouraging signals from the FTC, and Senator Baldwin's office has asked us to help recruit Republican co-sponsors. If you have relationships on the Republican side of the aisle, specifically with Senator Cruz's office, please reach out.
Federal Procurement / Made in America Office: The Made in America Office is signaling openness to expanding Berry-Amendment-style domestic sourcing requirements across all federal agencies. This is a significant opportunity, and we're actively working to ensure our dealer network of small family businesses isn't cut out of any new procurement model.
Section 301 Tariffs: We submitted industry comments on Section 301 tariffs. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the public comment process!
As always, please reach out to the Advocacy Committee with questions, ideas, or relationships we should be leveraging. We're building real momentum, and your engagement is what makes it possible!