The Vision Council encourages members to maximize their membership by taking advantage of exclusive access to the organization’s government relations and regulatory affairs (GR) team. The GR team is actively monitoring and proactively engaging key lawmakers and regulators on issues of the highest priority to the industry and is available to assist members with company-specific issues. To submit an inquiry, click here. 

Recently, members have connected with the GR team for assistance or information on the following topics:
• Proposition 65 labeling requirements
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance involving Unique Device Identifier (UDI) regulations and registration
• China 301 Duties
• COVID-19 stimulus and relief legislative programs
• Medicare vision coverage benefits
• Expanding flexible spending and health savings accounts
• Prioritization of the eyewear manufacturing and distribution community at federal, state and local levels
• Connecting the dots between The Vision Council’s member companies, members of congress and the new administration

Members are encouraged to reach out to Maureen Beddis at mbeddis@thevisioncouncil.org with any questions or issues.

The Vision Council’s GR team of seasoned professionals includes Bill Applegate, government relations director, and Rick Van Arnam, Esq. regulatory affairs counsel.

More About Bill Applegate and the Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner Team
Bill serves as a government relations director for The Vision Council and has represented The Vision Council before Congress, Executive Branch Agencies, State Legislatures and the vision stakeholder community for over 15 years. He is the senior vice president of the government relations practice at the international law firm, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, and works closely with organizations to enhance and harness their political strengths, identify achievable goals, and implement strategic government relations tactics and programs to achieve tangible results.

This work includes engaging, educating and mobilizing key federal and state decision makers on issues of importance to The Vision Council. Prior to joining Bryan Cave, he served for eight years as the director of government relations at two different firms and served as the manager of congressional and regulatory affairs at the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Bill previously worked on Capitol Hill and has been a leader in the government relations field for more than 25 years.

More About Rick Van Arnam, Esq.
Rick is a partner with the international trade and Customs law firm of Barnes, Richardson & Colburn LLP, a national practice with offices in New York, Chicago and Washington. He has been with the firm since 1991 and a partner since 1998. He has handled a wide variety of matters, representing clients before the United States Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, United States Department of Commerce, United States Trade Representative (USTR), United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and numerous other administrative agencies that regulate international business transactions. In addition, he has helped companies take advantage of duty preference programs.

With his work as counsel for The Vision Council, Rick has considerable experience with issues involving the FDA's regulation of medical devices and the manner in which national and international manufacturing standards are created.