Independent dealers from across the country gathered at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., Sept. 28–29 for NIADA’s 12th Annual National Policy Conference. The two-day event followed a simple game plan: prepare on Monday, advocate on Tuesday. By the time it wrapped, dealers had held more than 100 meetings with lawmakers and their staff, delivering a consistent message about the issues shaping and impacting how independent dealers do business.
Day One: Getting Ready for the Hill
Monday’s general session gave dealers the context and talking points they would need the next day, with two panel discussions, updates from federal regulators, and Hill preparation training.
• Grassroots advocacy starts at home. Moderated by Patrick O’Brien, NIADA Director of Government Relations & Compliance, the state-level advocacy panel featured NIADA Board Member Bentley Nolan, Corrine Kirkendall of PassTime GPS, Marty Coates of CIADA, and Allen White of Automax. Their advice: build relationships with state lawmakers before you need them, lead with your personal story rather than a fact sheet, and when a bad bill moves fast, respond calmly and build coalitions.
• The FTC is watching advertised prices. Mike Dingman of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection reminded dealers that the most prominent advertised price must be the one any consumer can actually pay, all inclusive of mandatory dealer fees such as doc fees, and that add-ons must be truly optional and agreed to. With warning letters sent to 97 auto groups in March and recent settlements on the books, he framed price transparency as a benefit to honest dealers who lose sales to competitors advertising misleading prices.
• Tax changes that help cash flow. Daniel Webber of the IRS walked through provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill that matter to dealers, including the return of 100% bonus depreciation, higher Section 179 limits, a permanent Qualified Business Income deduction, and a higher 1099 reporting threshold. He also encouraged dealers to help customers understand new deductions that could affect their budgets.
• Right to repair affects every dealer. In the closing panel, O’Brien and Mark Fuerbacher of Universal Imports in Rochester, N.Y., laid out how locked data, tools, and parts drive up repair and reconditioning costs, from a $200 battery only a franchise dealer could buy to a $40,000 three-year programming subscription. Those costs ultimately land on consumers. The message for the Hill: independents aren’t asking for special treatment, just a level playing field.
Hill training rounded out the afternoon, preparing dealers to speak with unified messaging when they met with lawmakers Tuesday.
Before the evening’s events began, attendees took an informational tour of the National World War I Memorial led by the Doughboy Foundation, where they witnessed the daily playing of Taps honoring all of America’s brave servicemen and women.
Region 4 Takes the PAC Cup
The evening began with the PAC Reception, sponsored by Solera, in the Willard’s Courtyard and Breezeway before dealers moved to the Willard Room for the PAC Dinner and Karaoke Fundraiser.
Each year at the National Policy Conference, dealers compete for the PAC Cup by raising funds to support the NIADA Political Action Committee. This year, they turned up the volume with a karaoke challenge to boost their regions’ totals.
When the final note was sung, Region 4 (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) took the crown with a year-to-date total of $25,850, narrowly edging out Region 3, which started the evening in the lead.
Congratulations to Region 4 and thank you to every dealer who took the mic and gave to support the voice of independent dealers in Washington. The evening’s fundraiser added $38K to the PAC bringing the annual total to just over $100,000.
Day Two: Advocacy in Action
On Tuesday, dealers headed to Capitol Hill for more than 100 meetings with members of Congress and key committee staff, including visits with Sens. Ted Cruz, Tim Sheehy, Roger Wicker, Bernie Moreno, and others. Dealers focused on four legislative priorities:
• Right to repair: including the REPAIR Act (H.R. 1566/S. 1379) in the safety title of the 2026 surface transportation reauthorization.
• Catalytic converter theft: cosponsoring the bipartisan PART Act (H.R. 5221/S. 2238).
• CFPB reform: supporting full House consideration of H.R. 10184, the Consumer Financial Protection Accountability and Reform Act of 2026.
• FCRA reform: urging the full House to take up H.R. 5775, the FCRA Liability Harmonization Act.
Midday, dealers gathered in the Members Room of the Library of Congress’s Jefferson Building for lunch, sponsored by Agora, with Congressman Mike Rulli of Ohio as host. Rulli, who spent most of his life working in his family’s century-old grocery business, told dealers he knows firsthand what it takes to make payroll and navigate federal regulations. He noted that independent dealers provide the transportation working families rely on and encouraged them to get involved locally by engaging with their state and local elected leaders.
The day concluded with a closing reception, sponsored by PassTime, in the House Budget Committee Hearing Room of the Cannon House Office Building, where dealers were joined by Sens. Ashley Moody, Rick Scott, and Deb Fischer, as well as Congressman Joe Wilson.
The Work Continues
The conversations that started in Washington don’t end when dealers fly home. As the panelists noted Monday, the relationships dealers build with lawmakers, both in D.C. and in their home states, are what make the difference when the next bill comes up for a vote.
For more information on NIADA’s government relations efforts, visit niada.com/advocacy.
