The Society of American Florists’ Government Joint Council will meet this week during SAF Maui 2016 to review and discuss several public policy issues of importance to the floriculture industry.
Those issues include, but are not limited to:
The STARS Act
The STARS Act would align the definition of “seasonal” within the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Currently, there are two definitions of “seasonal” under the ACA. They are not interchangeable and must be applied in two different calculations in the treatment of seasonal personnel on payroll.
If an employer does not understand and properly comply with the two conflicting definitions, that employer will be subject to tens of thousands of dollars of fines and penalties.
The STARS Act would establish a single definition of “seasonal,” making it easier for employers to understand the law and comply with their obligations. SAF is leading a coalition of several trade associations in pressing for the bill’s enactment.
Immigration Reform
There is near universal agreement that the nation’s immigration system is broken. However, there is no agreement on what solutions are required to fix it. (Over the weekend, The New York Times devoted significant space in its magazine to charting the twists and turns in recent immigration reform efforts, including how agriculture and seasonal workers often became a point of contention between the two parties.)
For more than 10 years, immigration reform has been one of the most contentious issues in Washington. This year’s presidential campaign has not only brought the issue back to the forefront, it has made it a red-hot issue that has driving policymakers further apart than ever, making a solution that much more difficult.
While Washington has battled over the issue, the lack of workers in American agriculture has grown increasingly worse.
Overtime Regulations
Recently-finalized regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) increased the level by 100 percent when workers are exempt from overtime pay. The regulations are scheduled to go into effect on December 1.
Currently, workers that receive an annual salary up to $23,660 may be eligible for overtime pay. Regulations finalized by DOL in May double the current salary threshold to $47,476 per year, expanding the number of U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay by more than four million. In addition, the regulations will make the level increase automatically in the future rather than through congressional or executive action as it has always been in the past.
In addition to those issues, the council will discuss regulations on inside and outside sales, funding for the Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative (FNRI), government action on pesticides, proposed regulations on worker protection standards, and biotechnology policies.
Members of the SAF Joint Government Relations Council are:
Chairman – Paul Fowle, DV Flora, Doral, Florida
Doug Cole, D.S. Cole Growers Inc., Loudon, New Hampshire
Jessica Cosentino, AAF, Cosentino’s Florist, Auburn, New York
Tim Galea, Norton’s Flowers & Gifts, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Gustavo Gilchrist, Kennicott Brothers, Chicago, Illinois
Ray Greenstreet, Greenstreet Growers, Inc., Tracy’s Landing, Maryland
Jamie Kitz, Sakata, Inc., Morgan Hill, California
Janet Louie, Green Valley Floral, Salinas, California
Ben Powell, Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Doral, Florida
Michael Pugh,AAF, Pugh’s Flowers, Memphis, Tennessee
Steve Register, Flores Ixtapan S de RL de CV, Tenango-Ixtapan de la Sal, Villa Guerrero, C.P., Mexico
Lee Sorensen, DESIGN MASTER color tool, inc., Boulder, Colorado
Mark Yelanich, Metrolina Greenhouses, Huntersville, North Carolina
