ECA Advocacy Update

By Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance ● Feb 14, 2025

A reminder: Registration for ECA Legislative Action Day is open! Register for free today to join industry leaders and advocates on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 29, 2025.

1 big thing: Workforce bills introduced

Last week, ECA’s two priority workforce development bills were reintroduced on Capitol Hill!

• In the Senate, Sen. Tim Kaine from Virginia reintroduced The JOBS Act, which would expand the Pell Grant program to support shorter-term job training programs for the first time. Thanks to Sen. Kaine for mentioning ECA’s support in his press release!

• In the House of Representatives, Rep. Rob Wittman from Virginia reintroduced the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act, which would allow 529 account funds to pay for post-secondary certification programs. ECA is part of the ASAE-led Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition that is advocating for this important legislation.

The bottom line: ECA strongly supports these bipartisan policies that would help the industry attract and train its next-generation workforce.

• Future workforce issues will be front and center during ECA Legislative Action Day this May!

2. Tax advocacy updates

In Washington, DC, and beyond, tax policy debates are heating up.

The big picture: With key federal tax cuts expiring and state budgets tightening, tax policy is the key issue this year on Capitol Hill and in statehouses nationwide.

• Last week, President Trump suggested changing the way carried interest income is taxed. ECA opposes any change to the current tax treatment of private equity income and interest deducibility, as it would likely cut off a key source of investment into the industry.

• Likewise, ECA opposes any changes to how non-profit organizations and their events are taxed. ECA is part of the Community Impact Coalition, which recently launched its website highlighting the impact of this important sector of the U.S. economy.

• Similar to workforce development, federal tax reform will be on the agenda for ECA Legislative Action Day.

At the state level, ECA continues to oppose proposals that would tax digital advertising services.

• In Rhode Island, ECA recently testified before the Senate Finance Committee against a 10% digital ad tax proposed by Gov. McKee in his FY 2026 budget submission.

3. ECA wants music licensing stories

The U.S. Copyright Office will be digging into music licensing issues, and ECA needs your help!

Why it matters: At Congress’s request, the Copyright Office is collecting information about performing rights organizations (PROs), with emphasis on two key areas:

• The recent increase in the number of PROs.

• PRO licensing revenue distribution practices.

ECA’s perspective: The MIC Coalition, which ECA is a member of, released the following statement in support of this effort:

“The MIC Coalition applauds the Copyright Office for addressing this critical issue and looks forward to contributing to the upcoming NOI process. The continued proliferation of PROs creates growing challenges for businesses of all sizes, further complicating an already complex licensing system. By launching this inquiry, the Copyright Office can drive much-needed improvements to the music licensing marketplace by helping provide increased transparency and competition.”

What's next: ECA will be submitting comments on behalf of the industry, which are due no later than April 11.

• To support that effort, ECA encourages you to share your concerns about the PROs by reaching out to Tommy Goodwin.

4. In case you missed it