Advocacy report on GCSAA TV

GCSAA Thursday reported on its recent government affairs and advocacy efforts during a presentation on the GIS show floor that was also recorded for broadcast on GCSAA TV.

GCSAA Director of Government Affairs Chava McKeel, Director of Congressional and Federal Affairs Robert Helland and Government Affairs Specialist Kaelyn Seymour reviewed the last year of government-related efforts, beginning with the department’s name being changed from Government Relations to Government Affairs.

In addition, the GCSAA Board of Directors passed a five-year strategic business plan that McKeel called “the roadmap for everything we do over the next five years.” Part of that plan, she noted was moving away from retaining a Washington-D.C.-based lobbying firm, and the hiring of Helland, who had long been with the association’s lobbying firm. “It was a watershed moment in GCSAA government affairs, McKeel said.

Helland said it was “a dream come true” for him to be able to spend all of his time on GCSAA efforts and do things such as attending the GIS.

Seymour gave a report on GCSAA’s Grassroots Ambassador Program, which aims to match members of Congress with a GCSAA member in order to establish relationships, “so if we need to move something through Congress, that we could get that done quickly.” Many of the 230 ambassadors currently in the program were attending the GIS, she noted, and many “have already filled their rosters” with members of the U.S. Senate and House. If members are interested in the program, Seymour said they can go to GCSAA’ s website.

On other items, Helland mentioned that WOTUS was not the only regulatory issue the association is keeping track of, but WOTUS had received a lot of attention. He said that litigation is in the works to stop WOTUS, and that the 6th Circuit Court of Ohio had stayed the order for now. Next up should the court reactivate the rule is an attempt to keep WOTUS enforcement from being funded. For now, Helland said WOTUS is not interfering with golf course operations.

National Golf Day is the next big government-related push, and it aims to bring golf organizations to Capitol Hill to, in McKeel’s words, “tell lawmakers about value golf brings to communities all across this country.”