Sports Insight

January / February 2019

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22 • Sports Insight January/February 2019 sportsinsightmag.com 2 0 1 9 O U T L O O K Politics "I'm excited about the opportunities ahead for us in 2019 with the new Congress. We have 100 new members in the House of Representatives and around 11 new Senators. It's an opportunity to really engage these new members and educate them on the $887 billion economic impact that the outdoor industry has on the U.S. economy and the 7.6 million jobs that are directly created by the industry. This will be a huge priority for the OIA. "Having a little more balance of power with the House turning to Democrat control and the Senate still controlled by the Republicans will also provide an opportunity to get more things done. "We have a changing of the guard in the Interior Dept. with Secretary Zinke moving on to new opportunities. The OIA is very interested to hear who the new nominee will be because we really want to get in there and talk to the new secretary about setting forth an outdoor recreation agenda that will be proactive and that will drive economic growth across the country. There is a real opportunity to look at the outdoor recreation industry, particularly in rural areas, and really take advantage of what those opportunities could be for small businessmen — outfitters, guides and retail. We also hope that the new Secretary will take a more balanced approach to public lands management. We don't feel we had that with Sec. Zinke, but we're hopeful that with the new secretary, there will be some more balance." Business "We are focused on the tariff issues. The Section 301 tariffs on China are impacting our industry. A lot of small businesses across the country are telling us these tariffs are hurting them. They're concerned about new costs on the consumer. But it's not just the small business owners. You've seen what's happening with the stock market. Everyone is very concerned about the long-term health of our economy. Putting 25 percent tariffs on outdoor gear coming out of China is just unfeasible and will have detrimental impact on the broader U.S. economy. American families need to have some certainty that they won't be taxed on the goods that they use to get outside and be more healthy." n The Outdoor Industry W H O W E T A L K E D T O Patricia Rojas-Ungar VP–Government Affairs, Outdoor Industry Association The Section 301 tariffs on China are impacting our industry. A lot of small businesses across the country are telling us these tariffs are hurting them. There is a real opportunity to look at the outdoor recreation industry, particularly in rural areas, and really take advantage of what those opportunities could be for small businessmen. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST These four interviews have been edited from a podcast conducted by Sports Insight Extra editor Bob McGee. Listen to the full interviews on the Sports Insight Extra podcast page or on Soundcloud: sportsinsightextra.com soundcloud.com/ sportsinsightextra

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