AmericanHort plans to host Impact Washington, its first, sold-out advocacy summit Sept. 11-13 in Washington, D.C.
With more than 100 attendees representing 24 states across the United States as well as Canada, this is the horticulture industry’s opportunity to engage directly with lawmakers and thought leaders in D.C. The three-day event will feature a mix of listening, learning, interacting and influencing.
“Timing is everything,” said Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort senior vice president, industry advocacy and research. “As we approach the Impact Washington event, our timing could not be more critical for the key issues that stand to impact our industry. So, we are calling on our grassroots partners to put on their citizen advocate hats and step up.”
Summit attendees will hear from elected leaders and policy experts on issues of impact on the green industry business sector. Sen. Thom Tillis, ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, Rep. Rodney Davis and special assistant to the president Ray Starling all will address the summit attendees.
In addition, AmericanHort plans to prepare attendees to meet and discuss with elected leaders and their staff on the following three issues:
- Labor and the workforce: Our industry needs reforms that stabilize our current workforce, provide better visa program options and bring clarity and integrity to the hiring process. While the Trump Administration could act to improve the situation confronting horticulture industry employers, some of the needed policy fixes depend on Congress passing legislation. As September arrives, opportunity could come out of the threat posed by immigration enforcement-only bills.
- Horticultural research and innovation: With the 2018 Farm Bill taking shape, the focus will be on programs that drive horticultural research and innovation. These programs include the Specialty Crop Research Initiative; Specialty Crop Block Grant Program; Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program; and the Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative.
- Tax reform: Congress wants to tackle tax reform and just about everyone would like a simpler and fairer tax code. Attendees will leverage their voices as small business owners by providing testimony on the importance of industry accounting methods as well as identifying opportunities for tax relief.
More details are available about this event online.