09.01.10
In a victory for Natural Products Association (NPA) members and the overall industry, conferees on the Wall Street Reform bill (S. 3217) decided not to include in the final legislation sweeping new powers for FTC. Such additional authority very likely would have led to advertising rules on the industry that would have undercut the protections of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). “This has been one of the top legislative priorities for the NPA for the last six months,” said John Gay, NPA’s executive director and CEO. “I am proud of the way our members responded to our calls to write their senators and representatives, and to urge their customers to do the same. Good grassroots and good lobbying are a powerful combination.” Since identifying this issue as a potential threat to the industry in December, NPA joined together with what eventually became a coalition of more than 50 national trade associations. Through the coalition, NPA lobbied members of Congress and ran ads in Capitol Hill publications. However, Mr. Gay urged the industry not to grow complacent. “This is a great victory, but the war isn’t over. Those forces on Capitol Hill that want to over-regulate us are still out there, planning their next move. We need to remain vigilant.”