NPMA staff have continued meeting with key stakeholders on Capitol Hill to discuss our legislative priorities. On Wednesday, we attended a lunch with Rep. James Comer (R-KY-01), who is the new Chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Chairman Comer is not on the House Agriculture committee; however, he is the former Commissioner of Agriculture in Kentucky, and has always been a big supporter of the pest management industry.
On February 2nd, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced “Protect America's Children from Toxic Pesticides Act” (PACTPA), as part of a block of legislation collectively known as S. 269. PACTPA aims to rollback preemption in 46 states, which would allowing localities in those states to regulate pesticides. Last week, NPMA launched a Voter Voice campaign for members of the California pest control industry to reach out to Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), and request that he oppose S. 269. NPMA has identified potential supporters of our pesticide preemption push that are members of the California delegation, and we need to ensure that Sen. Padilla is aligned with his California colleagues. Next week, NPMA will be expanding our Voter Voice campaign to include a few additional members of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Stay tuned for more information!