Day two of ACA’s Annual Convention & Expo took the popular ACA Huddle to the Main Stage and brought together attendees for a full day of education and networking.
7/29/2021 19:30
The ACA Huddle went on the road to Vegas, bringing what has historically been an online discussion to the Main Stage of ACA International’s Annual Convention & Expo. Association leaders and special guest speakers took the stage for the Huddle’s first-ever live, in-person event on Thursday, July 29.
ACA board member Rick Perr, co-managing partner at Kaufman Dolowich Voluck LLP, emceed the conversation, pitching hot topic questions to panel members Leah Dempsey, ACA’s vice president and senior counsel of federal advocacy, Andrew Madden, ACA’s vice president of state unit and government affairs, Colin Winkler, ACA’s corporate counsel, Travis Johnson, principal at 1607 Strategies, and Mark Brennan, partner at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C.
Panel members addressed recent case law, Telephone Consumer Protection Act issues, what’s at stake in the 2022 midterm elections and more.
Dempsey recapped some of the major pieces of proposed legislation impacting the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry that ACA has been monitoring and working on in the 117th Congress. While there are many challenges, Dempsey also pointed out to the more than 200 audience members that there is reason to be optimistic about the future.
“There are a lot of people in Washington, D.C., who support you,” Dempsey told the crowd. “There are people who go to bat for you on a regular basis because of the relationships that ACA and its members have built.”
Brennan emphasized ACA’s role in shaping positive policy for the ARM industry.
“Over the last year in particular, your ACA leadership team has had incredible visibility and impact in every single meaningful debate and topic that has flared up [on Capitol Hill],” Brennan said. “As you know, there’s been a lot that has flared up in the last 15 months—some of it pandemic related and some of it not. But time and [time] again, ACA was in the room and was prepared and was making a difference. And so, when you hear some of these good outcomes …you know it was the product of a lot of thoughtful effort and engagement by all of you and the ACA team.”
The Main Stage session was sponsored by Maurice Wutscher LLP.
The members-only ACA Huddle draws more than 350 members each week for in-depth discussions of compliance issues, business operations tips and more. Members can check out past recordings of the ACA Huddle here: www.acainternational.org/about/aca-huddle.
ACA’s 2021 Convention & Expo runs through Friday, July 30. Visit www.acainternational.org, check your inbox for ACA Daily, and follow ACA on Twitter using #ACAConv21 to get updates throughout the event.