Watching the news, it is easy to get cynical about politics. It is easy to think that politicians are embroiled in political grandstanding and that as a voter your voice does not really matter. But you can make a difference by engaging with your elected officials.
H-2B activism made a difference
When the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 2 that the 66,000 H-2B cap was reached, our members and other H-B users did not stand idly by. Convinced that the cap was not actually met, they called their Senators and Members of Congress. They wrote letters and they talked about the cap on social media. As a result of these efforts, Senators Mikulski (D-MD), Tillus (R-NC) and many others asked USCIS for an audit of the cap count. These efforts led USCIS to re-open H-2B processing on June 5. Your involvement definitely made a difference!
Whether you are worried about fertilizer, pesticide, and water restrictions, access to labor or another issue, please stay involved. Take the time to send a letter to your elected officials through our advocacy webpage. Go on Facebook and Twitter and talk about our industry using #landscapeadvocacy. And, join your industry peers in Washington, DC for Legislative Days on July 19-21. Collectively, we can show Congress the importance of addressing the issues that matter to landscape professionals!
Laurie-Ann Flanagan is Executive Vice President at DCLRS with over 20 years of experience in the federal legislative and regulatory process. DCLRS has served as a government relations consultant to the association since 2003.
