Advocating for the Pest Control Industry on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite fears related to the COVID-19 outbreak, just under 400 industry professionals made their way to our nation’s capital for the National Pest Management Association's Legislative Day, lead sponsored by FMC. This attendance mark is comparable to most Legislative Day events (normally just over 400), according to NPMA.

As NPMA CEO Dominique Stumpf noted, “For more than 30 years NPMA has hosted Legislative Day to provide for our members with an opportunity to have candid conversations about the issues impacting their businesses on a daily basis. The impact that these meetings have is priceless.”

Throughout the two-day event, NPMA members met with their respective committees, heard from high-profile keynote speakers about political issues in Washington, and – most importantly – visited their congressional representatives to make their voices heard on a pair of important issues that impact them and their business. Some of the highlights included:

• Legislative Day attendees encouraged their congressional representatives to federalize pesticide preemption and oppose the ILLICIT CASH Act. Regarding preemption, for a number of years NPMA and other groups, have been urging Congress to codify the exclusive role of state lead agencies as pesticide co-regulators with EPA. Currently, 44 states have preemption, meaning the state lead agency preempts the local government when it comes to determining how pest control products and services are employed. In states without preemption (Alaska, Hawaii, Kentucky [for ag uses only], Maine, Maryland and Nevada) localities in these states can and do have different regulations. This impacts the ability of the pest control industry to do business, and creates a patchwork of regulations in places pest management professionals may work in a given day or week. NPMA Director of Public Policy Jake Plevelich said it was important to federalize the issue because many states that do have pre-emption are vulnerable. For example, Plevelich mentioned Colorado legislators will be considering a bill to repeal that state’s pre-emption law, and that Enviropest President Kevin Lemasters will be attending an upcoming hearing about that bill. Attendees also asked their congressional representatives to oppose S. 2563, “The Improving Laundering Laws and Increasing Comprehensive Information Tracking of Criminal Activity in Shell Holdings Act (ILLICIT CASH Act).” This bill would require small businesses with 20 or fewer employees to provide personally identifying information to the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). (Click here to read more about these issues.)

• PCT and BASF recognized Technicians of the Year Alonzo Ferguson, Massey Services, Orlando, Fla.; Jake Vollink, Rose Pest Solutions, Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Robert Woodson, ABC Home & Commercial Services, Corpus Christi. The FMC Legislative Day Award was presented to Suzanne Graham of Massey Services, while Marie Horner of Arrow Exterminators was recognized as the PestVets ‘Veteran of the Year.’