PLNA PAC Needs Your Help!

Donate to the PLNA PAC now: https://www.plna.com/page/PLNA_PAC

All contributions matched dollar for dollar by Mike Feeney of Feeney's Wholesale Nursery up to the goal of $5,000!

PLNA is conducting a Political Action Committee (PAC) Drive and here's why you should contribute:

Over the past twenty years, PLNA has saved the landscape and nursery industry millions of dollars through its legislative efforts with the Pennsylvania General Assembly:

• Stopped a fertilizer applicator registration and certification law that duplicated existing pesticide registration and certification requirements, saving the industry as much a $10 million annually in new fees and lost work hours.
• Enacted a law that exempts high tunnels, poly houses and hoop houses from real estate taxation by counties, saving the industry millions in real estate taxes.
• Enacted a law that exempted high tunnels, poly houses and hoop houses from the Storm Water Management Act (SWMA), again saving the industry millions in local government fees and the costs of engineering studies required by the SWMA.
• Enacted a law that exempted high tunnels, poly houses and hoop houses from the Unfirm Construction Code (UCC) that would have required that fire suppression systems, bathrooms and other UCC requirements be installed in these structures, saving the industry millions in design and construction costs.
• Defanged an onerous organized labor-backed bill that would have allowed unions to sue companies who hired independent contractors. Although the bill finally passed, PLNA-backed amendments stripped out the union suit provisions and made the bill a non-issue.
• Secured a provision in the home Improvement contractor law that exempts companies that do only plant installations and hold a nursery dealers’ license from registering under the Home Improvement Contractor law.
• Secured an amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which brought $180 million in green infrastructure projects into Pennsylvania.
• Secured an amendment in the Pennsylvania Water Resources Planning Act to have a representative of the horticulture industry on the state and regional water planning boards.
• Secured an amendment to the state drought emergency regulations that allow water gardens and water features to continue to be installed and maintained under a general permit and allows hand watering of landscape plants during drought emergencies.

PLNA is now working with legislators:

• To head off a law that would give every one of Pennsylvania’s 2560 local governments the authority to enact and enforce their own pesticide regulations.
• To enact legislation that would NOT require the use of battery operated landscape equipment before that equipment is ready for professional use and does not cause financial hardship for the industry.

A successful PLNA government relations program needs three things:

1. Presence with legislators and regulators on a consistent basis so they know who we are and the industry’s needs and requirements. PLNA has seats at the table on regulatory and advisory boards that could affect our industry.
2. Engagement of PLNA members with legislators and regulators. PLNA’s Government Relations Committee, made up of PLNA members, monitors and reacts to legislative and regulatory issues.
3. An active Political Action Committee (PAC) that can make appropriate political contributions to those legislators who can affect legislation affecting the landscape and nursery industry. This is where we need your help!

PLNA PAC Now Depleted

The PLNA PAC is now depleted, with our last fund-raising campaign ten years ago, and we need your help to replenish it to maintain the success of our government relations program.

Help PLNA maintain and sustain our successes. Donate to the PLNA PAC now: https://www.plna.com/page/PLNA_PAC

PLNA PAC Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is a PAC necessary? Won’t legislators just listen to the logic of our arguments?

Unfortunately, money has become a necessity to be heard and taken seriously in the Pennsylvania capitol and Washington. By attending campaign fund-raisers of those in a position to help PLNA with its legislative agenda, we are provided with access and opportunity to make our case to that legislator and the others attending. It’s a matter of showing up, being visible and having the opportunity to advocate for our position. Being present at fund raisers shows that PLNA is serious about our legislative agenda and willing to support those that support us.

2. Why can’t corporations donate to the PAC?

Pennsylvania campaign finance law prohibits corporations from donating to political action committees or directly to campaigns. Checks to PACs or campaigns must come from an individual, a sole proprietor, or a partnership.

3. To whom does the PLNA PAC donate?

The PLNA PAC is a state-level PAC that donates to Pennsylvania legislators in a position to help us with our legislative agenda. That has generally meant members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate Ag Committees and other legislators who could be or who have been particularly helpful. PLNA PAC donates only to legislative candidates currently in office due to our limited resources. PLNA PAC cannot donate to federal legislators.

A complete donation history of the PLNA PAC can be found on the Department of State website: https://www.campaignfinanceonline.state.pa.us/pages/CFReportSearch.aspx.

4. Who makes the decisions about to whom donations are made?

Recommendations for donations are made by PLNA’s lobbyist, Gregg Robertson. Donations are made with the approval of the PLNA Government Relations Committee and Board.

5. What is the PAC’s fundraising goal?

The goal for this campaign is $5,000. That amount will allow us to attend fundraisers for key legislators in next election cycle.

Donate to the PLNA PAC now: https://www.plna.com/page/PLNA_PAC

Questions? Call or email PLNA’s Government Relations Advocate Gregg Robertson: 717.533.2056 or grobertson@PLNA.com.