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www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation November/December 2016 33 STAYING CURRENT ILLUSTRATION ABOVE ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/SMARTBOY10 ■ BY PAUL MENDELSOHN There are so many important issues in the industry, that we recently launched our 2016 Public Affairs Score Card to keep you informed about key issues. To increase our chances for advocacy success, in 2016 we began to implement a strategy that prioritizes key issues. Our highest level of focus is devoted to Tier One issues where our goal is to be recognized as one of the lead voices both by industry stakeholders and decision makers. Our next level of priority occurs at Tier Two where the goal is not to lead, but to actively participate. We recognize that there are numerous issues that are directly related to the green industry, but there are other stakeholders that are better positioned to have infl uence. Our fi nal category of advocacy focus is our Tier Three issues where our objective is to keep members informed. These are issues that impact members, such as wage regulations, but that are not primarily related to the services that you provide. This year, our Tier One issues were H-2B at the federal level, and fi ghting ill-conceived fertilizer and pesticide bans at the state and local levels. H-2B On our federal Tier One issue, NALP was able to co-lead a successful effort to advocate for the inclusion of the returning worker exemption (RWE) and other H-2B regulatory relief measures in federal appropriations bills. Un- fortunately, in this area we still have work to do; Congress failed to ex- tend RWE under a temporary spending measure it passed in September, so we will be aggressively advocating for language to extend this critical provision when they reconvene to consider the 2017 budget in December. We also met with high-level staff at the Department of Labor (DOL) and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to relay our concerns regarding unnecessary processing delays, to offer our support in working to address known application problems, and to foster a positive relationship that we hope proves benefi cial in the future. Short term, we have already seen positive results. A week after our meeting, DOL shared best practice tips for H-2B applicants and the next month convened a webinar that covered the same topic. Admittedly, these are small steps, but it is progress, nonetheless. FERTILIZER AND PESTICIDE BANS At the state and local levels, we were extremely vigilant in monitoring and tracking attempts to institute fertilizer or pesticide bans that go beyond the industry's best management practices. We followed legislation in all 50 states, in fact at one time we were monitoring more than 200 state bills on a daily basis. We also worked to educate both decision makers and the general public on the numerous benefi ts of regularly maintained landscapes and industry efforts to help protect pollinators. Importantly, our efforts on the state and local levels occurred hand in hand with our state association partners, RISE, and other industry stakeholders. We strive to collaborate, and we feel that the industry is best represented when we are able to combine national forces with those who represent your interests at the state level. Through partnerships of this type, we were able to hold off aggressive attempts to further restrict pesticide and fertilizer use in numerous states and communities throughout the country. So, as you can see, 2016 has been marked by a high level of activity to make sure that your voice is heard when important decisions that can impact your life and livelihood take place. But don't take our word for it. We want you to be able to evaluate our efforts on your own. That is why we encourage you to review the 2016 Advocacy Score Card, which allows you to easily catch up on the status of issues that impact the landscaping industry, and learn where NALP has been engaged. It includes summaries of NALP advocacy efforts for the year, including several important victories in our core areas of focus. Importantly, it also reports on efforts where we did not succeed, because when it comes to advocacy no one wins all of the time, and we want to present a realistic picture of the regulatory and legislative landscape to our members. Our score card tracks federal, state and local issues, and will be shared on a quarterly basis going forward. To read the complete NALP Public Affairs Score Card, go to www.landscapeprofessionals.org, click on the "Advocacy" tab at the top of the page and then click on the "Advocacy Score Card" button. Paul Mendelsohn is VP of government relations at the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Keeping Score of Federal, State and Local Issues collaborate, and we feel that the industry is best represented when we are able to combine national forces with those who represent your interests at the state level. Through partnerships of this type, we were able to hold off aggressive attempts to further restrict pesticide and fertilizer use in numerous states and communities throughout the country. by a high level of activity to make sure that your voice is heard when important decisions that can impact your life and livelihood take place. But don't take our word for it. We want you to be able to evaluate our efforts on your own. That is why we encourage you to review the 2016 Advocacy Score Card, which allows you to easily catch up on the status of issues that impact the landscaping industry, and learn where NALP has been engaged. It includes summaries of NALP advocacy efforts for the year, including several important victories in our core areas of focus. Importantly, it also reports on efforts where we did not succeed, LI