Welcome to the latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update, a biweekly roundup of the public-policy issues currently impacting the full cleaning supply chain. This update touches on early-bird registration opening for the 2026 Clean Advocacy Summit, ISSA updating its VOC compliance materials, EPA releasing pesticide-registration reports, and more.

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ISSA Advocacy

Early-Bird Registration Now Open for 2026 Clean Advocacy Summit
Secure your spot now for the cleaning and facility-solutions industries’ premier advocacy fly-in as space is limited! Early-bird registration is officially open for the 2026 ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit, returning to Washington, DC March 23-–24.
Why Attend: “The 2026 summit is a unique opportunity to build on our legislative successes in 2025 and for leaders to influence the critical policy issues being debated on Capitol Hill that will impact the industry for years to come,” said John Nothdurft, ISSA Director of Government Affairs. “Hearing directly from business leaders firsthand is the most impactful way to advance the industries’ policy priorities and strengthen our collective voice in Washington, DC.”

The summit will also serve as the capstone celebration of International Cleaning Week (ICW), March 22–28, featuring the first-ever ICW Awards Dinner on March 23, where we’ll recognize top advocates, policymakers, spotless spaces, and up-and-coming leaders in our industry. Learn more & register now

ISSA Updates VOC Compliance Materials for Members
What it means: ISSA updated its popular volatile organic compounds (VOC) compliance resources:

• Summary of State and Federal VOC Limitations for Institutional and Consumer Products
• State VOC Regulations: Prohibitions on the Use of Specific Toxic Compounds in Specific Product Categories

Why it matters: State and federal VOC regulations govern the formulation of common commercial, institutional, and consumer products such as general-purpose cleaners, general degreasers, bathroom and tile cleaners, carpet cleaners, disinfectants, sanitizers, and many other cleaning and related products.  In addition, on an increasing basis, states have been using the VOC regulations to ban certain products containing specified toxic substances.
What ISSA is doing: The recent update to ISSA’s VOC compliance materials includes the new air freshener categories established by California. ISSA also will update its VOC compliance materials to reflect the Oregon final VOC rule once that rule is finalized, likely at the end of this year. Both compliance resources are now available to ISSA members. Learn more & access the VOC materials now

ISSA Applauds EPA Release of Pesticide-Registration Reports
What it means: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took a significant step to evaluate and optimize key pesticide-registration functions by releasing two evaluations of EPA programs. The first report provides the results of a third-party audit focused on assessing the operational performance of the agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and provides recommendations for improvement. The second report evaluates OPP’s training and educational gaps to support implementation of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA 5). EPA is reviewing the reports to consider how best to implement the recommendations.
Why it matters: The agency shared this information to help improve the registration process for pesticide registrants and other stakeholders. This action supports ISSA’s continued advocacy to increase efficiency and provide more regulatory certainty for companies that make sanitizers and disinfectants and for the consumers that use them to protect public health.
What ISSA is doing: ISSA, as a leading member of the PRIA Coalition, strongly advocated for these reports and their subsequent public release, as well as participated in the audit as a third party. Learn more (Cleaning & Maintenance Management)

Rethinking Restrooms: The Push toward Menstrual Equity in Facilities
What it means: How well do facilities support menstrual equity? In this episode of Straight Talk, John Nothdurft, Director of Government Affairs at ISSA and the author of Inside the Data, analyzes the relevant survey data and explains how public and workplace facilities are responding to the growing call for access to menstrual-care products.
Why it matters: Nothdurft explains what All In One’s recent survey results reveal about awareness, affordability, and inclusion—and what facility managers can do to make meaningful improvements.
What ISSA is doing: Watch to discover how ISSA’s data-driven advocacy is changing restroom standards and helping create safer, more equitable spaces for everyone. View the video now Sponsored by Bobrick

ISSA Advocacy 101: Why Is Advocacy Important?
What it means: Check out the second installment of the new ISSA Advocacy 101 video series, where ISSA Senior Government Affairs Manager Stacy Seiden provides quick insights into government affairs as it relates to the cleaning and facility-solutions industries.
Why it matters: The second Advocacy 101 answers the question: “Why is advocacy important for the cleaning industry?” The series is intended to further educate and engage our members in ISSA Advocacy.
What ISSA is doing: Future installments of the series will address the how, when, where, and who of ISSA advocacy. Watch the video now

From the Show Floor to Capitol Hill—Advocacy Starts Here
Advocacy doesn’t stop on the show floor—it starts there. At ISSA Show North America 2025, November 10–13, your ISSA Advocacy Team will bring Capitol Hill to Las Vegas with engaging activities for you to learn about and shape the public policies impacting our industry and your cleaning business. Join us for these can’t-miss advocacy events at the show this year—all included with your show registration unless otherwise noted:

November 10

Navigating Challenges in the Cleaning Industry: Bold Ideas for a New Era, 9 am-10 am, South Pacific F – North Convention Center; All Access Pass required

Politics, Policy, & Your Business: What Cleaning Companies Need to Know, 1:45 pm-2:45 pm, Islander H – North Convention Center

November 11

Industry Leaders Roundtable, 12 pm-12:30 pm, Business Solutions Theater – Show Floor, Booth #1417

ISSA End Period Poverty Service Project, 1 pm-3 pm, ISSA Experience Hub – Show Floor, Booth #3701; we kindly request that those who work for businesses beginning with letters A-L volunteer between 1 pm and 2 pm and those who work for businesses beginning with letters M-Z volunteer between 2 pm and 3 pm. Sponsored by Hospeco Brands Group

November 12

From Job to Career: Elevating Cleaning with Training and Trade Recognition, 12 pm-12:30 pm, Business Solutions Theater – Show Floor, Booth #1417

Panel Discussion: Extended Producer Responsibility & Sustainable Packaging, 1 pm-2 pm, Business Solutions Theater – Show Floor, Booth #1417

Voices of Change: How You Can Champion the Cleaning Industry, 3:30 pm- 4 pm, CleanMeet Zone – Show Floor, Booth #3555

ISSA Advocacy Meet & Greet, 4 pm-5 pm, CleanMeet Zone – Show Floor, Booth #3555

And stop by the Advocacy kiosk in the ISSA Experience Hub on the Show Floor, Booth #3701 throughout the show to connect with your Advocacy Team and discover how you can make an impact. Learn more & register now

Thank you to ISSA member company Tork, an Essity Brand for its recent contribution to the ISSA Advocacy Fund at the Bronze level.

Additional Updates

Legislative

Government Shutdown Third-Longest in History
The federal government shutdown is on Day 20 with no end in sight after U.S. senators failed for the 10th time to resolve the impasse in votes last Thursday. The shutdown is now the third-longest funding lapse in modern history, eclipsed only by the shutdowns of 1995 and 2018-19. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) sent the upper chamber home for the weekend after Thursday’s votes, meaning that the funding lapse will continue until at least Monday. The House of Representatives has been out of session since September 19 with no plans to return until the shutdown is over. Learn more (CBS News)

• Shutdown Hits Federal Contractors Hard (AOL/CNN)
• How Shutdown Impacts Commercial Buildings (Cleaning & Maintenance Management)
• Judge Blocks Trump’s Layoffs (NBC News)

Understanding the American Franchise Act
A new federal bill, The American Franchise Act, introduced on September 10, 2025, as H.R. 5267, represents a significant legislative effort to address the evolving landscape of the “joint employer” test, particularly as it pertains to the relationship between franchisors and franchisees. If passed, the bill, which is sponsored by U.S. Representative Kevin Hern (R-OK-1) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, would amend the National Labor Relations Act by providing definitions that delineate when a franchisor is considered to be exercising “direct and immediate control” over a franchisee’s employees, a critical factor in determining whether the franchisor is a “joint employer” of the worker. Learn more (JD Supra)

Regulatory

DOL Clarifies Overtime-Pay Requirements in New Opinion Letters
An employee working for two ostensibly separate but “operationally integrated” businesses is considered jointly employed, and the employee’s hours worked for the businesses must be combined for the purpose of determining whether their total hours worked exceeded 40 in a single workweek, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division Acting Administrator James Macy recently wrote in an opinion letter. Learn more (HR Dive)

Tariffs

U.S. Imposes Section 232 Tariffs on Timber, Lumber, Derivative-Wood Products
President Trump imposed new tariffs on timber, lumber, and their derivative products, citing national security concerns under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The proclamation follows a months-long investigation and opens the door for future expansion of the tariffs, directing the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to establish a process to include additional wood products within the scope of the tariffs. Learn more (The National Law Review)

Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier to Meet to Try to Defuse US Tariff Hike
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that he expects to meet this week with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Malaysia to try to forestall an escalation of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods that President Trump said was unsustainable. The two officials previously met in four European cities over six months to hammer out a tariff truce that brought duties down from triple-digit levels for each country. That agreement expires on November 10. Learn more (Reuters)

Trump Administration Initiates Section 232 Investigation of PPE
The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security announced the initiation of an investigation into the effects on U.S. national security of imports of personal protective equipment, medical consumables, and medical equipment. The investigation could result in the imposition of tariffs or other import restrictions by Spring 2026. “Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to PPE used in healthcare settings. PPE includes, but is not limited to, surgical masks, N95 respirators, gloves, gowns, and related medical parts and components.” Learn more (White & Case)

State & Local News

Newsom Blocks Bill to Further Limit PFAS in Packaging
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills related to PFAS and plastic microbeads, capping off a legislative session that brought little change for the packaging industry. SB 682 would have prohibited by 2028 the distribution or sale in California of any food packaging and certain other consumer products that included intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. That prohibition would have extended to a range of other categories, including cleaning products, by 2031. Learn more (Waste Dive)

NYS Minimum Wage to Increase
Beginning on January 1, 2026, workers who earn the minimum wage across New York State will see an increase of 50 cents per hour, bringing the minimum wage up to US$15.50 per hour. In New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, the minimum wage will also increase by 50 cents per hour, bringing the hourly wage up to $16.50. Learn more (NBC5)