Get a Wrap-Up from CompTIA’s Second Annual TechVoice D.C. Fly-In

Last week, I was in our nation’s capital, along with 60 or so other CompTIA staff, members and TECNA partners, taking part in CompTIA’s second annual TechVoice D.C. Fly-In. While I would not consider myself politically savvy, I am politically curious. I have tremendous appreciation and respect for this country’s history and government. I never imagined I would have the opportunity to walk the halls of the Senate and Congressional offices, let alone sit down with policy makers to represent the IT industry. It was an absolute privilege to participate in the government process and to meet personally with our country’s elected state officials. Collectively, our mission was to educate policymakers on the many issues that impact our IT businesses and to make sure the policy priorities of the IT industry are heard and represented on Capitol Hill.

The TechVoice D.C. Fly-In is a very well organized event. Kudos to Liz Hyman, vice president of CompTIA’s Public Advocacy group, along with her team; David Valdez, Lamar Whitman, Randi Parker and Matthew Evans. This year, we had attendees representing 20 states and the Public Advocacy group scheduled 60-plus individual appointments, matching up member constituents with state representatives. I was asked to be a group leader for the five New York constituents. I must admit, I was a bit nervous to lead our team, wishing I had a better handle on all things government. The Public Advocacy group did a great job preparing us for the meetings with clear and concise briefs and focused policy requests. We were sent off to meet with our representatives focusing on three requests.

First, we requested support on passing Startup Act 2.0 (now 3.0, thanks to constituent effort and representative support). Startup Act 3.0 is intended to boost our economic recovery by providing greater support for high-paying, high-skilled STEM jobs. It would create a new visa for U.S.-educated students and entrepreneurs, enabling U.S. employers to begin filling 250,000 open IT-related jobs, and would allow for tax incentives for those investing in U.S. start-ups.

Second, we asked for a uniform approach to data breach notification laws. Currently, technology businesses must navigate through a collection of disparate state data breach notification laws with little universal consistency or standard. A federal approach would make everyone’s life easier as the industry rapidly evolves and customers cross state borders with cloud and mobility solutions.

Finally, we asked our Congressmen and Congresswomen to join the Congressional Small Business Information Technology Caucus, founded by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) to educate Congress on the important issues facing the IT industry and to advocate for policies that will help our industry grow and impact the economy.

We were met with support across the board. The meetings were not nearly as intimidating as I imagined they might be and all representatives – or in some cases their staffers – were welcoming and generous with their time. We had great discussions and after each meeting felt confident that our voices were heard and would be represented. Each representative concurred that our industry plays an important role in the nation’s economy and our ability to remain globally competitive. They appreciated hearing specific case studies from our member businesses – their constituents – to support their efforts.

In addition to our Capitol Hill visits, the event included several distinguished government guest speakers, as well as panel sessions that focused on timely issues. It was a tremendous learning experience and made me so much more aware of the role government plays in all of our businesses – and the role we collectively play in the government. I highly encourage you to participate next year. Our Public Advocacy team works tirelessly all year long to champion the small- to medium-sized IT business and the development of a 21st century IT workforce, and focuses a good deal of effort on cyber-security issues. You can get involved now by participating in our monthly TechVoice calls or register here for policy alerts.

Get involved with CompTIA’s Public Advocacy initiatives. It will make you proud to be a member, an IT worker and an American.