The COMPETES Act
The America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act aims to maintain and strengthen our nation's global economic competitiveness by improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The law also establishes a variety of basic research programs in several agencies. The purpose of H.R. 5116 is to renew the COMPETE Act programs.
Unfortunately, at the last minute, Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)-who was not on the committee that wrote the bill-offered the following amendment:
"No funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or the amendments made by this Act may be used to purchase gift items, knickknacks, souvenirs, trinkets, or other items without direct educational value."
In very short order, the amendment was accepted without discussion or debate and the bill passed the House. Now it goes to the Senate-and we need your help.
The Impact
For some, the impact isn't immediately visible.
How can promotional products be used in a government program anyway?
This was the question posed to PPAI by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Federal agencies use this advertising medium more often than we might think-consider the U.S. Census. Recently, $10 million was spent by the Census Bureau on a promotion to improve outreach. The promotion included a canvas tote bag promotion filled with census-logoed promotional products including water bottles, toy footballs, mouse pads, paperclips, pencils, luggage tags and key chains. The items are designed to improve outreach. The Census Bureau reports that for every one percent increase in mail response it will save taxpayers $85 million in costs, primarily from hired
temporary employees collecting the information in door-to-door interviews. Find out more about this effort here. Limiting the use of promotional products to those of "direct educational value" can
impede the efforts of any agency or association receiving funding appropriated from this legislation. For the participating programs, promotional products could be used in other ways than traditional advertising. They could be used as reminders for members or rewards for employees.
Even more importantly, the language used in this amendment to describe promotional products sets a precedent that the industry cannot accept. Representative Ellsworth or other congress people who share his opinion of promotional products could continue to insert this type of language or the exact same language into future legislation.
Take Action. Until there is a bill number assigned to COMPETES, it doesn't make sense to contact all Senators, but there are other ways you can take action, ways you can do your part for the industry.
In order to educate Representative Ellsworth on the effectiveness of promotional products and the strength and presence of the industry in Indiana so that he will no longer continue to employ a negative description of the industry, you can take the following action:
· If you live in Ellsworth's district, educate him in a polite way about what promotional products are, how they support business objectives, and the strength of the industry in Indiana (Jobs: 5,718, Companies: 619, Revenue: $110.1 Million).
· If you know someone who lives in his district, ask him or her to make this phone call or set up a meeting. Ellsworth's district includes the cities of Bloomington, Boonville, Coatesville, Centerpoint, Dale, Evansville, Fillmore, Fulda, Holland, Huntingburg, Owensburg, Newburgh, Princeton, Spencer, Terre Haute, Vincennes, Wadesville, W. Lafayette and Washington.
