Bill Walkowiak, a North Carolina small-business owner, is chosen as a guest by Rep. Tim Moore to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday, February 24.
Moore’s decision to bring Walkowiak to the State of the Union aligns with both his and Walkowiak’s stand for “the positive impacts of President Trump’s policies and the Working Families Tax Cuts,” Moore highlighted in the Republican Study Committee for a roundtable.
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Who is Billy Walkowiak?
Walkowiak is the founder and CEO of Collision Safety Consultants. In his professional capacity, Walkowiak is state-licensed as a motor vehicle damage appraiser and post-collision repair inspector, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Collision Safety Consultants is an independent firm that specializes in vehicle damage appraisal, collision repair inspection and diminished-value assessments after accidents. According to the official website of Collision Safety Consultants, his work is critical in arbitration and insurance disputes, where understanding the technical aspects of collision repair can affect settlement outcomes.
Beyond his business operations, Walkowiak has been involved in local initiatives and outreach to lawmakers about collision repair standards and insurance transparency.
Repairer Driven News reported that Walkowiak even engaged with state representatives on legislative ideas tied to consumer protection and safety regulations within the automotive sector.
He told Repairer Driven News, “My goals aren’t much different than the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. I want the best for everybody in our community; just like the Society of Collision Repair Specialists wants the best for our industry.”
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Significance of Walkowiak’s presence at the State of the Union
In preparation for Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Trump has set the stage for Lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives to attend.
Leaders of the armed forces, Supreme Court judges, and the nation’s top lawmakers will swarm the US Capitol in Washington, DC, to listen to the president’s speech.
In his speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump will discuss his policy objectives going forward. He will also discuss what he considers to be the successes of his first year in office.
Following a recent Supreme Court ruling that ruled that Trump overreached himself by enacting international tariffs under a legislation reserved for national emergencies, Trump’s trade policies may also be discussed.
In the light, lawmakers have guests from the small business sector like Walkowiak, alongside other business voices like Rick Woldenberg, standing for the impact of small businesses in the current national debate.