With just a handful of days remaining on the 2019 legislative calendar, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is working with allied sectors in the U.S. business community to urge Congressional action on priority matters for the outdoor power equipment sector.

On trade, OPEI is part of a broad coalition of 400-plus trade groups and companies advocating for the passage of the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) this year, to avoid the uncertainty of deferring the matter into an election year. Following a year of negotiation with Canada and Mexico, and months of talks between Democrats and Republicans, USMCA is now poised to provide businesses with both certainty and continuity in the terms of North American trade through a well-conceived modernization of NAFTA.

On industry workforce needs, OPEI is a member of the "H-2B Workforce Coalition," which is urging Congress to maximize the availability of seasonal workers to the landscaping sector during FY 2020, recognizing the strong U.S. economy and the labor needs of businesses.