Golf industry professionals meet with state representatives on National Golf Day

Golf Course Superintendents of America Association (GCSAA) members and other industry professionals met with state legislators from across the country to discuss the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act, the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA) and the labor issues with the H-2B Visas.

The PHIT Act promotes healthy lifestyles by lowering the cost of activity and asks for use of pre-tax dollars in HSAs, FSAs and other medical accounts to pay for the prevention of disease.

Mark Jordan, past president of the GCSAA, shares a picture of his group during the National Golf Day meetings. (Screenshot: Mark Jordan on Twitter).

The PHIT Act covers:

• Youth and adult sports league fees
• Sports and fitness equipment
• Tournament and green fees
• Required uniforms and more.

During the meeting with the Ohio legislators, the PHIT Act was the focus of the conversations. Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) has already publicly supported the PHIT Act.

The PACTPA Act will arbitrarily ban pesticide products banned or otherwise prohibited by the European Union (EU), one or more countries in the EU, or Canada. The GCSAA supports H.R. 7266, a bill sponsored by Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL), which protects state pesticide preemption.

The H-2B Returning Worker Exemption Act would permanently exempt workers who were previously admitted to and worked in the U.S. on an H-2B visa during the past three fiscal years from the annual 66,000 visa cap. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced over 136,000 visas were requested for the second half of the 2022 fiscal year alone.

According to the GCSAA, more than 200 golf course industry professionals attended the meetings on May 11.