THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES (ASAE) is focusing its advocacy engagement on beneficial workforce development policies that would support all associations and their members. Same as Texas Society of Association Executives, ASAE is the “association for associations,” which means we need to identify and engage on public policy issues that all organizations in the community share in common simply by their shared nature of being associations.
Workforce development, such as education programs, training, and credentialing, is one of the biggest, most uniform examples of associations doing what they do best. As stewards of given industries and professions, all associations foster workforce development for their members, constituents, professionals, and so on. That’s why ASAE and its public policy team advocate so heavily to promote workforce development and help strengthen our association community’s positive impact on the economy.
Here are examples of ASAE’s major advocacy and related coalition-building initiatives in workforce development policy:
Professional Certification Coalition
In 2018, ASAE joined forces with the Institute for Credentialing Excellence to combat state legislation that would have nullified all professional certifications provided by a private-sector entity (i.e., an association) instead of the state government. In other words, if a certified professional listed private-sector credentials after their name, they would have been breaking the law.
If enacted, the legislation would have harmed careers of anyone who previously earned a certification or wanted to obtain a new one; it would have undermined associations’ stature as subject matter experts and watered down their ability to stand up for their constituent industries and professions. Thankfully, coalition efforts were successful in opposing the legislation.
This acute advocacy effort subsequently transformed into what is now the Professional Certification Coalition (PCC), which has been a major player in the workforce policy space for six years. Professional certifications benefit consumers and strengthen careers, businesses, industries, and professions. The PCC advocates for policies – at both the state and federal levels – that promote certifying organizations, certified professionals, and all who rely on the expertise and experience demonstrated only through professional certification. One hundred organizations belong to the PCC. Visit www.profcertcoalition.org for a roster and more information.
Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act
The Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act (H.R. 1151 / S. 756) is a leading legislative priority for ASAE. This bill would expand qualified expenses under 529 savings plans to include postsecondary skills training and credentialing programs, such as occupational licenses and high-quality professional certifications. The bill, which ASAE and the PCC helped craft, would shift the paradigm for 529 plans – transforming them from “college savings plans” to “career savings plans.”
Representatives Rob Wittman (R-VA-1) and Steven Horsford (D-NV-04) lead the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) lead the bill in the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan legislation is broadly supported in Congress. During the 118th Congress, 150 members of Congress and 26 senators supported the bill in their respective chamber. The bill was recently introduced in the House and Senate in the 119th Congress with a growing, bipartisan list of cosponsors.
The Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act would empower Americans of any educational background, skill level, or age, and would benefit all industries and professions that rely on employees with specific training or credentials. The bill would provide valuable tax-advantaged resources for students and workers – with or without a college degree – who pursue career growth, mid-career changes, or career pathways that diverge from a typical academic degree.
Further, approximately 40 million licensed and non-governmentally certified professionals work across the U.S. economy. Each of these professionals could readily benefit from the increased access to continuing education, training, and career development that the legislation would help foster.
Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition
ASAE and the PCC jointly established the Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition (TWC) in 2023 with the singular goal of building support for – and helping to pass – the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act. The TWC now stands at nearly 900 member organizations strong. Special thanks to TSAE and the eleven Texas organizations that have joined us. Any organization – not just associations – can join the TWC. (Email me at [email protected] for more information or to join.)
serves as Senior Director of Public Policy for the American Society of Association Executives. In his role as ASAE’s lead lobbyist and advocacy spokesperson, Kyle advocates for the association community and its stakeholders on tax and fiscal policy, workforce development, and commerce, among other issues.
A version of this article was originally published by Jeff Evans in the Summer 2024 issue of connections, the official magazine of the Georgia Society of Association Executives.
