NPA East keeps its fingers on the legislative pulse in your state. We are looking for conscientious, independent retailers, who are willing to stand up and take action when threatening legislation appears on the horizon. To lend your support to protect your livelihood, please contact the Executive Director.

Become State Captain or District Captain

The time to affiliate with an advocacy-focused trade association is now. To become a concerned citizen of the natural products community after negative legislation has been filed is too late. Newly introduced legislation can become law in a matter of weeks. NPA East is dedicated to organizing now and being poised to protect the future of our industry as soon as threats arise. To lend your support to protect your livelihood, please contact the Executive Director.

Less than a month ago, the Vermont state house successfully crept through a proposed bill to collect its 6% sales tax on all dietary supplements. Facing a $154 million deficit this year, they hoped to raise $1.5 million in new tax revenue for the state.  NPA East member and manager of local coop Hunger Mountain, Kari Bradley, voiced his opposition to the bill, and noted that supplements are a rapidly growing part of his business, with sales up 20% this year.  "Many of our coop members consider them essential to a healthy lifestyle."   Peter Farber is one of those customers.  "If you're not going to tax prescription drugs, why would you tax supplements? Many of us depend on these products for our health",  Farber stated.  Even Vermont Governor Jim Douglas said he saw no logic in the proposal.  "I don't support any new taxes", said Douglas.

Apparently the senators listened.  Thanks to the local voices raised in opposition to the proposed bill, it lost traction in the state house and died as quietly as it was born. It has been tabled for at least a year, but NPA East will continue to keep an eye on it just in case. 

Advocacy In Action

The event defined above is a perfect example of 'advocacy in action' and why NPA East spends so much time and effort working to increase awareness at the local level.  Multiply this one bill by the 12 states and Washington DC that comprise our region and you can see why we say we can't do it alone.  Thanks to members like Kari Bradley, and advocates like Peter Farber, we dodged this bullet and won this battle.

To protect our industry from crippling and unnecessary legislation, we need the support of everyone who sells, manufactures, and sustains the natural products industry in our region. We need you!

If you are already a member of NPA East, please consider becoming an active advocate for your state. If you not yet a member, please accept our invitation to join NPA East today. Annual dues are only $95.00, less than $2.00 a week to help protect your business every day. You can join right now by going to our website: www.npaeast.org;  or contact NPA East's Executive Director, Paul Kushner, at 856-985-5446 or pkushner@comcast.net. You'll be supporting the only organization dedicated exclusively to protecting your livelihood.