Contractors descend on Capitol Hill

Contractors are in D.C. this week advocating for laws to help the skilled trades. 

What’s happening: On May 5 and 6, members of PHCC, as well as the American Supply Association, are meeting with legislators. 

• “It’s going to be our biggest fly-in since at least 2014,” Mark Valentini, PHCC’s VP of Legislative Affairs, told Homepros. “We’re expecting over 120 contractors and wholesalers.” 

The rundown: The groups will advocate for the Energy Choice Act, which would effectively prohibit natural gas bans, and the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the primary source of federal workforce development funding. 

• They’ll also promote the Employer-Directed Skills Act, which would reimburse contractors for training new employees, and the Career Learning Pathways Act, which would help create directories that make career trajectories clearer. 
• Students often finish training but “end up going to college,” and the trades effectively lose those trainees, Valentini said.
• “When it comes to workforce, you’re going to have sympathetic ears in Congress,” he added. “That’s always been a pretty strong bipartisan issue for us.” 

The big picture: “The buzzword of the day right now is ‘affordability,’” Stephen Rossi, VP of Advocacy for the American Supply Association, said last week on a prep call with attendees. 

• He noted that it’s powerful “when you can explain [to lawmakers] why a policy or piece of legislation would either increase or reduce the cost for their constituents.” 
• He also suggested that contractors invite legislators to the workplace to see operations for themselves.