Complete Story
07/05/2024
The OAO in Washington
I was recently in Washington DC, where I was able to advocate for opticianry and small businesses. This advocacy consisted of meeting with congressmen and senators from Ohio, and other states, letting them know how important opticianry is not only to our customers and patients, but also to our economy.
Of course, as we all know, before we can tell anyone how important what we do is, we need to let them know what we do! Opticianry is not difficult to describe, if you keep it simple. My “go to” description of my profession is “We are the pharmacist to the eye doctors. We fill eyewear prescriptions.” And yes, this is a conversation I have each time I meet with legislators, even if I’ve met them before, as reminders are always helpful.
Once I was sure they knew who opticians were, and why we are important, I let them know about three issues that are important to us. The first is the extension of the 20% tax break for businesses. The second is the importance of licensure for opticians, and the third is the Corporate Transparency Act.
