Industry Advocacy Work
VMA action in Sacramento to protect the printing and graphic arts industries.
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Business taxes, employee mandates, insurance benefits, workers’ compensation rates, environmental regulations, and more! These are all issues that affect your print, packaging, label, and design agency business.
VMA lobbyist, RJ Cervantes represents your interests before legislative and regulatory bodies in all these areas that affect the bottom line of your business.
See what we do and how you get more information, legislation, and rules potentially affecting your business:
California
On a state level, through Printing Industries of California (PIC) which also includes our Southern California colleagues and our political action committee, PrintPAC of California, we represent your interests before legislative and regulatory bodies in areas that affect the bottom line of your business.
State Priorities
- Ensure that Environmental regulations are achievable
- Lower property tax on equipment
- Minimize competition from state and local printing operations
- Provide assistance to members with sales tax advice; permitting and compliance; and OSHA safety
- Prevent single payer health care in California. Single payer would end our statewide health trust and break the state budget
Have questions? Our Government Affairs expert Gerry Bonetto may be able to help.
Other Topics Covered Include:
Labor Policy
The printing and graphic communications industry is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment. Get background info on hot topics such as Equal Employment Opportunity, Family Medical Leave Act, Mandatory Paid Sick Leave, OSHA, Pension Reform, Union Organizing, Wage-and-Hour issues, and more.
Major State Legislative Successes
- In June 2022, our lobbyist RJ Cervantes was effective in amending SB-54 by removing paper products. This Extended Producer Responsibility law requires all packaging in the state to be recyclable or compostable by 2032.
- In April 2021, our lobbyist RJ Cervantes was effective in stopping SB-324, the anti-direct mail bill. SB-324 was a job killer aimed directly at our printers and mailing houses.
- Printing Is Essential in California! – March 28, 2020 – The federal government indicated print and packaging as a “essential” industry during the pandemic. However, it also stated that states had the ability to adjust those rules. Therefore, the three CA affiliates lead by our lobbyist, RJ Cervantes advocated and succeed in convincing Governor Newsom to include print as an essential industry during the pandemic shutdowns.
- Sales Tax Audits – Our intervention with the State Board of Equalization has saved 100 members an average of $15,000 each in the past 20 years.
- Sales Tax Exemption for Printing – This success led to the exemption of sales tax on all printing that is mailed and contains sales messages. Since 1989 this law has kept $40 billion dollars of printing from leaving the state.
- Workers Compensation Reform – This success in 2003 resulted in the 60% rates reduction we enjoy today and saved our industry $400 million in premiums.
Additional Sources of Information:
Executive Toolbox
VMA’s website for employers to adapt to California’s changing and highly regulated business environment. Executive Toolbox is a collaborative resource providing members of the graphic arts industry in California with information, tools, and other materials on Sales Tax, Enviromental Regulations, Safety, Human Resources and more.
Print in the Mix
Get the facts here: Print In the Mix is part of the Rochester Insitute of Technology’s Cross-Media Innovation Center Portal — A Clearinghouse of Research on Print Media Effectiveness. Useful for conveying the value of print to the media, customers, and others.
