Conference Speakers

Jessica Franken

Director of Government Affairs, INDA, Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry

BIOGRAPHY

Jessica Franken, INDA's Director of Government Affairs, has more than 15 years of professional government relations/public policy experience that includes positions on Capitol Hill and many years of work with industry association clients including INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, as well as groups representing recycled textiles, pharmaceutical printing and healthcare packaging industries. In this capacity, Franken has acted as a primary policy liaison/advocate between clients and public officials on a diverse array of issues including the environment, product safety, trade, tax, healthcare, manufacturing, and labor/workplace policy. She serves as an appointed advisor to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Industry Trade Advisory Committee for Textiles and Apparel (ITAC-13), is an active member in a number of textile industry and general business coalitions and is a frequent speaker on governmental issues of interest to her clients. She is a founding member of the Washington-based Alliance of Textile Professionals, a networking organization dedicated to connecting professionals involved in textiles/apparel, retail, sustainability and related arenas.

An accomplished writer, Jessica Franken has contributed to and authored more than 150 policy-themed articles for trade publications, and has developed numerous industry-adopted position papers and formal submissions to the U.S. government. She received a Master's degree in Public Policy from George Mason University's School of Public Policy, and was named the 2006 recipient of the university's coveted Alexis de Tocqueville Award for academic achievement and professionalism in the field of public policy. She earned her bachelor's degree in Government and Politics, graduating with honors from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1997.

Franken is the President of The Franken Group, LLC, a government affairs consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia offering services to multiple association and industry clients.

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Policy Update: What’s Happened and More Importantly, What’s Next?

It’s an election year and despite the strength of the economy, it’s still anyone’s best guess as to who will be in the White House come January 2021 or what the makeup of Congress will be. Current Washington, DC and state policy makers have kept the business community on its toes with actions on trade, plastics in the environment and more. Hear INDA’s Director of Government Affairs Jessica Franken discuss some of these important developments including the ongoing trade war with China and other trade skirmishes affecting nonwovens; the latest on the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill and U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement; updates on various federal and state plastics pollution legislation and whatever else public officials decide to lob our way in 2020.

U Can't Flush This

After a brief lull in 2018, during 2019 and 2020, our industry has seen a significant uptick in activity of various states considering legislation intended to address wastewater system clogs being caused by the inappropriate flushing of products, including wipes, not designed or intended to be disposed in the toilet. Currently, several states, including California, Minnesota and New Jersey, are working on bills to address this issue while Washington state is on the verge of adopting joint industry-wastewater legislation that would focus on the “Do Not Flush” labeling of non-flushable wipes after a months long cooperative effort between industry and wastewater groups there. Here INDA’s Director of Government Affairs Jessica Franken, who has been quarterbacking the flushable wipes issue, talk about legislative activity in the various states and what we can expect next.