This year's American Nursery & Landscape Association Legislative Conference in Washington was cut short a day due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Attendees were frightfully close to the Pentagon when the events took place and many were stranded in the city for a week before they could fly home. New ANLA president Gary Briggs shares his experiences and the accomplishments made at the meeting.

Q. What was the mood in Washington, D.C., in the days following the attacks?

A. Sobered. Cautious. Proud of America and determined to move on ... just like the rest of the country.

Q. When did you finally get home from the conference and what was your plane flight like?

A. It took an additional seven days for me to get back home. The flights I was booked on were repeatedly canceled as United Airlines attempted to work out routes and schedules.

Finally, I was successful with a flight from Washington, D.C., to Chicago and Chicago to Seattle. For me it was a nervous flight, and the feeling of nervousness was certainly exacerbated by the air turbulence we encountered as the plane descended for landing. But all in all, a safe trip home.

Right now I feel more comfortable about traveling. The additional safety and security measures that have been put in place -- and those still under consideration -- offer a strengthened sense of security.

I am now in the process of planning my next trip and I remind myself to take into consideration some of the trade-offs that we as travelers may need to make, such as a change in convenience due to heightened security and longer delays. But then I weigh the value that such precautions offer and it puts it all in perspective -- to protect lives, safety must be first.

Q. Do you think any accomplishments were made at the conference before the terrorist attacks occurred?

A. There were several significant accomplishments before the attacks. Most significantly, all 200 participants met Monday afternoon with their respective senators and staff to discuss the key immigration reform legislation that ANLA is supporting. They also talked to these senators about increased funding of the USDA-ARS Nursery Floral Research Initiative and expressed our concerns about possible ergonomics legislation.

Second, the conference participants spent Sunday afternoon in an intensive education and training session conducted by one of Washington's most respected experts on grass-roots lobbying and political funding. The invaluable information shared in that session will be put to good use in the future at both the state-association and national-association levels.

In addition to the Senate visits on Monday, there was an ANLA Political Action Committee reception that evening where some members of Congress stopped by to meet constituents and thank ANLA for its support of their campaigns.

Q. How do you think anti-terrorist legislation will affect our industry?

A. At the point of this interview, it's too early to tell how that legislation will end up. ANLA is monitoring the proposed legislation and debate to protect the reasonable interests of employers of immigrants. The challenges we face as a result of years of broken immigration systems are not going to be reversed overnight.

Q. Prior to Sept. 11, Congress was very close to passing migrant labor reforms. What's the status of those bills now and is there hope for immigration reform any time soon?

A. Congress has established some immediate priorities relating to the budget, the economy, and issues arising from these terrorist attacks. I think all of us would agree that those are correct priorities. While those objectives are being pursued, ANLA will continue to work behind the scenes to make progress on common ground that will make future passage of good immigration reform more certain.

It is important for Washington's decision-makers to know that the underlying needs and circumstances regarding immigrant labor in this country have not and will not change because of what happened on Sept. 11. Our long-term economy continues to rely on this labor and its recovery and future growth will depend on continued access to that labor.

Q. In your inaugural speech, you spoke about the importance of teamwork. Is the need for a united horticulture industry more important now than ever?

A. A united industry has always been the key to our businesses realizing their full potential. With the economy now struggling more, we'll need to pull together more. The best way to upset the plans of our enemies is make America more successful than we would have been otherwise.

Q. There's been a push for reaching foreign markets with U.S. horticultural products, particularly in the Northwest. Do you think the recent terrorist activities will put a damper on international trade?

A. The president has been clear that this war on terrorism will be fought on many fronts and will involve all countries (and their markets) that cherish freedom. A strong base of international trade is a good weapon for the United States and our allies to carry into battle. For that reason, I think there will be stronger incentives to build international trade in every industry, including ours.

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© 2001 Branch-Smith Publishing