Karen Harned, Former Executive Director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center, Will Serve as Director

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a groundbreaking step for the wholesale distribution industry, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) has launched the NAW Legal Policy Center. This new center will serve as the voice of the wholesale distribution industry, pursuing precedent-setting litigation in defense of free enterprise. The launch of the NAW Legal Policy Center comes at a crucial time. The recent Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Chevron doctrine means NAW now has greater opportunities to challenge regulations, push back against poorly written laws, and rein in agency overreach. This decision empowers us to advocate more effectively for a fair regulatory environment that supports business innovation and economic growth.

“Our member companies are focused on keeping the supply chain moving and rely on us to have their backs,” said Eric Hoplin, President and CEO of NAW. “With Congress mired in ineffective gridlock, policymaking is increasingly shaped by the emboldened executive and judicial branches who don’t have business interests in mind. The Legal Policy Center enables NAW to expand on our policy leadership and aggressively defend the American supply chain against activist regulators.”

Karen Harned, President of Harned Strategies LLC, will serve as Director of Litigation and Legal Policy for the LPC. Harned brings over 27 years of experience in legal policy and public affairs to the role. For more than 20 years, she served as Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB) Small Business Legal Center, which she built from the ground up. Under her leadership, NFIB successfully led two historic, precedent-setting cases before the United States Supreme Court: NFIB v. Sebelius, which challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and NFIB v. DOL, which contested President Biden’s vaccine mandate.

To succeed in the legal arena, NAW will leverage proven strategies that have effectively influenced policy in Congress: coalition building, innovative thinking, and a strong commitment to free market capitalism.

“The policy battlefield has shifted in recent years,” said Brian Wild, Chief Government Affairs Officer of NAW. “As the leading trade association for the supply chain, NAW must engage where policy is made. The Center is particularly dedicated to supporting small businesses, who often lack the time and resources to continuously contest federal regulations while they focus on running their operations, creating jobs, and serving their communities.”

The NAW LPC has already taken action on several cases of Federal overreach – included below – which disproportionately impact small businesses struggling with record inflation and an increasingly burdensome regulatory environment.

• NAW Files Amicus Brief Against SEC Climate-Risk Disclosure Rule
• NAW Sues the Department of Labor Over Overtime Rule 
• NAW Joins Lawsuit Against OSHA’s Worker Walkaround Rule
• NAW Files Amicus Brief In Support of Lawsuit Challenging FTC Non-Compete Ban

NAW is one of America’s leading trade associations, representing the $8 trillion wholesale distribution industry. Our industry employs more than 6 million workers throughout the United States, accounting for approximately 1/3 of the U.S. GDP. 250,000 wholesale distribution companies operate across North America, including all 50 states. Learn more at naw.org.