Advocacy – What Can I Do?
As the IAFE continues to advocate for fairs across the globe, please check below to find templates and instructions to assist us with these efforts. It takes EVERYONE working TOGETHER!
Ag Fairs Rescue Act (U.S.) | Securing Access for Venue Equity Act or “SAVE” (U.S.)
Ag Fairs Rescue Act
What it is:
In April 2021, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington D.C. introduced legislation that would provide $500 million in Agricultural Fair Rescue Grants to agricultural fairs, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
AMS will provide the grant funding to states or state departments of agriculture based on the loss of attendance fairs have experienced using the difference between the average attendance at agricultural fairs in the state over the 3-year period of 2017 to 2020. Grants must be used to assist fairs to continue events that are drivers and promoters of agribusiness. The states or state department will then be required to make grants to fairs, prioritizing those that have faced the greatest financial hardship.
How can I help?
We need to add co-sponsors to both the Senate and the House versions of the bill. Adding Senators and Representatives as co-sponsors demonstrates that there is broad based support for passing these bills and saving our agriculture fairs.
You should contact both of your U.S. Senators and your Representative in the House to co-sponsor their respective bills. Ask both Senators to co-sponsor S. 1092 and your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 2424.
Below, you will find brief talking points you can use when reaching out to congressional office by phone or in meetings. Also included is a sample email you can send to congressional offices.
To reach an office by phone you can call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and they will connect you with your Senators and Representative. If you are unsure who your Senators are click here, or to locate your Representative click here.
Documents and Templates to Help!
Securing Access for Venue Equity Act or “SAVE”
What it is:
Mid-April 2021, a bipartisan bill was introduced that provides a simple and straightforward way to extend the Sheltered Venue Operators Grant program (SVO Grants) to Carnivals and Fairs. The proposal, HR 2120 is called the Securing Access for Venue Equity Act or “SAVE” Act and was offered by a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans.
The bill simply adds a new category of eligible businesses called “Hospitality Businesses” to the existing SVO Grant program created last year by section 324 of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Business, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (Public Law 116-260).
This new category addition would specifically include all North American Industrial Classification Codes (NAICS Codes) beginning with “713, 487, 5615, 7113, 721, 722320, or 561920.’’. (Bold added for emphasis)
How this impacts fairs – HR 2120 also includes all NAICS codes beginning with “7113” as eligible for SVO Grants. NAICS Code 711320 is broadly defined as “Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports and Similar Events without Facilities”. Drilling down further into the definition of what that broad category includes is “promoters primarily engaged in organizing, promoting, and/or managing live performing arts productions, sports events, and similar events, such as state fairs, county fairs, agricultural fairs, concerts, and festivals, in facilities that are managed and operated by others.”
What can I do to help?
We need to add co-sponsors for the bill HR 2120 to show that there is broad support for providing relief to fairs that were devastated by the pandemic. You should contact your Representative and urge him/her to co-sponsor HR 2120.
Below, you will find brief talking points you can use when reaching out to a congressional office by phone. To reach an office by phone you can call the US Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and they will connect you with your Representative.
Also included is a sample email that you can send to that office.
If you are unsure who your Representative is or what the proper email is you can find it at: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.