SCPCA Legislative Advocacy
One of the purposes of the SCPCA is to monitor and respond to legislative efforts that affect the pest management industry. We accomplish this on two distinctly different fronts that are equally important at the federal and state level. The SCPCA Legislative Committee provides the mechanism for keeping the SCPCA positioned to respond if necessary, and to make certain the association has a clear and distinct voice on these matters.
Federal Advocacy
The great relationship we have with the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) gives us access to the legislative activity in Washington, DC through their government affairs efforts and the NPMA Public Policy Committee. This is accomplished by working with lawmakers and federal agencies with regulatory oversight to ensure decisions are made with sound business practices and sound science in mind. In the recent past we have weighed in on several national issues that would have a significant impact on how we conduct business. Some of these include:
- Public Health Issues like mosquitoes, cockroaches, and rodents, defending structures from termites, to specializing in bed bug eradication.
- Effective Products and Practices is totally dependent on access to pesticides and cutting-edge technology to keep the pest management industry in step with current trends. We accomplish this by, again, working with federal agencies to make certain they make policy decisions based on sound reliable science.
- Protecting Natural Resources is paramount in the advocacy program. The pest management industry is committed to being great stewards of the environment. We have worked tirelessly to protect pollinators as well as threatened species in diverse ecosystems.
- Protecting your Business is more important now than ever. We are working to make certain the decisions made about occupational licensing reform, tax increases, and local governments regulating pesticides are not detrimental to our businesses.
State Advocacy
The SCPCA has all the necessary tools in place to continually monitor activities in the SC Legislature and if necessary, to provide an immediate voice to state our position on those legislative matters that effect the pest management industry. The SCPCA is committed to working with our regulatory officials to maintain a business-friendly posture in SC, while ensuring the necessary framework is in place to promote a fair regulatory program that protects all SC citizens.
A perfect example is the work done during the COVID-19 pandemic for our industry in SC. As the state was making decisions about how to respond to the pandemic it was imperative to make sure we were considered an essential industry. We sent a letter to SC Political Leaders making the point that our industry is essential. We included the Governor, the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Chairmen of the following Committees: Senate and House Judiciary, Senate and House Medical Affairs, House Ways & Means, Senate Finance, Senate and House Labor Commerce and Industry, Senate and House Majority Leaders, Senate and House Minority Leaders; and DHEC Director Toomey. After contacting the leadership, we then sent the letter to each remaining member of the SC House and Senate. We sent a letter to the leadership in every city, town, and county in SC reminding them of the essential nature of the pest management industry. We followed up with a grassroots initiative to the entire pest management industry in SC by activating the Voter Voice portal to allow each person to contact their elected officials directly with our essential designation message. Through all these efforts we were considered essential during these challenging times when many businesses were required to close their doors and send employees home.
We also conducted legislative discussions about business liability related to the COVID pandemic. It is critical for businesses to be allowed to employ the recommended safety measures and practices to protect customers and employees without the burden of unwarranted lawsuits. We will continue to pursue this protection as the legislation develops.
These are but a few things the SCPCA does every day to support you and our industry. We know that if we stand together to protect and preserve our ability to conduct business in a competitive but fair environment we will survive.
SCPCA Sponsors
SCPCA Sponsors
