[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16817]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             DIRECT SELLING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 28, 2015

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be a founding co-chair 
of the Direct Selling Caucus, which was established in January and 
announced at a Direct Selling Association (DSA) event with participants 
and constituents from around the country.
  As a full time student, direct selling provided me with the 
flexibility necessary to pay for college while in school. Running my 
own business was an extremely rewarding experience and served as great 
preparation for my career in public service. It is a vibrant sector of 
the economy that embraces entrepreneurship and helps people achieve 
their American dream.
  More than 18 million Americans located in every state, Congressional 
district and community choose to become involved in direct selling. It 
contributes more than $34 billion to the U.S. economy annually. As 
economic uncertainty places more emphasis on needed flexibility that 
opportunities to work independently provide, direct selling will 
continue to grow and prosper.
  Just as important to the continued success of direct selling are the 
safeguards that the industry, through the Direct Selling Association's 
leadership, put into place. They promote high standards of business 
ethics and consumer protection.
  On October 29, 2015, hundreds of direct sellers from across the 
country will come to Washington, DC to emphasize the importance of 
direct selling to the economy and remind policymakers of the 
opportunity it provides to pursue meaningful independent work. I hereby 
request that October 29, 2015 be recognized by this House as Direct 
Selling Day.

                          ____________________