FROM THE HILL
NALP Virtual Legislative Days 2021 – Get Engaged & Advocate for the Landscape Industry
By Andrew Bray VP, Government Relations
**This article was written on April 2, 2021**
AS WE TURN THE PAGE ON MORE THAN A YEAR LIVING with COVID-19 it’s amazing how it has impacted every aspect of our lives. The way we conduct meetings, the way we interact virtually and especially the way we advocate has changed significantly this past year. As NALP’s federal lobbyist I have not stepped a foot on the Capitol Hill complex since March 2020. The Capitol and the ancillary buildings on both the House and Senate sides remain closed to the general public and are accessible by appointment only in very limited and unique circumstances. This doesn’t mean we haven’t been meeting with Capitol Hill offices this past year. To the contrary, we have been meeting even more frequently, albeit virtually.
SIGN UP FOR
The Advocate weekly e-newsletter at
landscapeprofessionals.org/ advocate
While optimistic about the remainder of 2021 and in-per- son events happening again, I have been frustrated and upset that we’ve gone more than a year without having NALP’s Legislative Days in-person and in Washington D.C. Unfortu- nately, bringing all of our tireless advocates onto Capitol Hill this summer will not be possible. But we won’t let that deter our efforts in 2021………With that being, said I’m happy to announce that NALP Legislative Days will be going virtual this year and will begin on June 14 and then span over the course of two weeks until June 25 to maximize our ability to have as many meetings as possible. As an industry, we cannot miss the opportunity to intro- duce the landscape industry to a new Congress. In January, nine new senators and 62 represen- tatives took office and many of them are in pivotal Congres- sional districts and have been appointed to key Committee assignments that are pertinent to the landscape industry. In addition to the new members, we have an entirely different dynamic in Congress with Democrats gaining a narrow majority in the Senate, main- taining a narrow majority in the House and the Biden Admin-
34 The Landscape Professional //May/June 2021
istration aggressively pursuing a bold policy agenda in his first 100 days in office. The issues being debated on Capitol Hill are significant to the landscape industry and we need to weigh in on these important issues including immigration reform, climate change, H-2B cap relief, infrastructure and tax reform. The program and format for the virtual event will be abbrevi- ated and much more convenient for you to participate from your office or in the comfort of your home. On Monday, June 14, there will be three sessions. The first being an introductory session to review logistics of how NALP’s virtual legislative days will function, including a briefing on how to properly message and interact with Capitol Hill offices for the most effective lobbying in a virtual setting. There will then be two break-out sessions to review core messaging and talking points on H-2B cap relief and climate change (more in detail below). NALP staff will plan all your Capitol Hill meetings for you and provide you a sched- ule, calendar Zoom invites and NALP staff will participate in each meeting to assist you in your efforts. As noted above, I’m disap- pointed that we cannot do these
meetings in person; but over the past year we’ve come to realize some tremendous benefits in conducting Capitol Hill meetings virtually.
Convenience – Not travel- ing to Washington D.C. in the humid summer months is a plus! Additionally, since we will spread meetings out over two weeks so participants will have more flex- ibility to attend a few 30-minute meetings rather than spending several days in D.C. Accessibility – Meeting virtually has opened Congres- sional offices up more and we have seen increased access to the elected officials themselves or at least higher-level Con- gressional staffers. The offices can manage the schedules and timing much more efficiently and are therefore taking more appointments. Impact – While I still value the in-person physical con- nection, meeting virtually has other benefits. Attention in a virtual setting is very focused. There are not the distractions of meeting in a Capitol Hill hallway or the bustle of a busy Con- gressional office. Also, being on a computer allows you to have talking points readily available, take more efficient notes, and immediately follow up with thank you notes and supporting materials.
During the virtual meetings landscape professionals will be prepared to address two critical issues that will be very pertinent in June.
IMMIGRATION REFORM AND H-2B CAP RELIEF Hopefully, the Biden Administration will have released supplemental H-2B visas in April, but we will then
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
