Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) was honored May 18 by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) as the 2017 recipient of the Joseph M. Magliochetti Industry Champion Award, a special recognition given to elected officials who have shown outstanding leadership on behalf of motor vehicle component suppliers.
“Time and again, Congressman Huizenga has helped MEMA and our members by promoting and protecting the vehicle supplier industry,” said Steve Handschuh, president and chief executive officer of MEMA. “His direct involvement and the outstanding efforts of his staff has advanced legislation to benefit the supplier industry, and MEMA is pleased to recognize his efforts with this award, which carries great significance within our industry.”
“Thank you for this incredible honor. The automotive supplier industry is an engine of growth that has created hundreds of thousands good-paying American jobs,” said Congressman Huizenga. “Without the innovation from automotive suppliers, the legislation enacted to reduce federal spending, spur job creation, and save taxpayer dollars would not have been possible. I am proud to support the hardworking men and women who continue to innovate to make our cars safer and more efficient.”
A member of the House Financial Services Committee, Huizenga has played a key role in removing barriers to private sector job creation and chairs the Capital Markets, Securities, and Investment Subcommittee. Before representing Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District, he served three terms in the Michigan legislature representing the southern portion of Michigan’s Ottawa County, where he still lives with his wife and children.
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During his tenure in Congress, Huizenga has actively worked on legislation critical to the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry. In 2016, Huizenga played a leading role in urging Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to veto a bill that would have restricted the use of certain aftermarket replacement parts in vehicle repairs. In 2015, he was the lead sponsor of H.R. 1613, the Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act of 2015, which earned bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Obama within 8 months. The law promotes good manufacturing jobs and recognizes the quality, value, and sustainability benefits of remanufactured motor vehicle parts. And in 2014, he supported modernizing the transportation and infrastructure system in the U.S. through Waterway and Port modernization (P.L. 113-121) and continued highway and transportation funding (P.L. 113-159) which helps the industry compete in the U.S. and abroad.
The Industry Champion Award is presented in the memory of Joseph M. Magliochetti, a former MEMA chairman who also served as the chairman and CEO of Dana Corp. until his death in 2003. He was widely recognized as a leader and a visionary in the supplier industry, and his tenure as MEMA’s chairman left a legacy of advocacy and outreach on behalf of motor vehicle suppliers. This annual award recognizes a member of the House or the Senate who has worked diligently on behalf of parts manufacturers in the United States. Past Industry Champion Awards have been presented to Congressman Dr. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Motor vehicle component manufacturers are the largest employer of manufacturing jobs in the U.S., contributing nearly 3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. Employment by suppliers is up 19 percent since 2012, generating a total direct and indirect employment impact of 4.26 million jobs.
In January, MEMA released an important economic impact study that defines the critical role motor vehicle parts suppliers play in the U.S. economy. A mini version of that report is also available.
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