Tile Roofing Industry Alliance Lobbyist, Craig Brightup, has provided the latest government relations update and activities on the following:
Government Funding
On Nov. 14, the House passed a bifurcated Continuing Resolution to extend government funding at 2023 levels for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19 and all others through Feb. 2. The bill, which was quickly passed by the Senate and signed by the President, also extends the authorization of programs in the farm bill through Sept. 30, 2024. This buys time for Congress to finish individual appropriations bills for FY24 and also to pass FAA reauthorization and the National Defense Authorization Act.
Regulatory Updates
- The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s (DOL) changes to Davis-Bacon Act calculations for federal contract prevailing wages is being challenged in two federal courts, with Associated Builders & Contractors bringing one of the lawsuits and Associated General Contractors bringing the other.
- The National Labor Relations Labor Board (NLRB) published its new Standard for Determining Joint-Employer Status (Joint-Employer rule) on Oct. 27 and on Nov. 9 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups filed a lawsuit against the new rule in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
- OSHA’s proposed Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process rule is opposed by business groups as exemplified by the attached Construction Industry Safety Coalition and Coalition for Workplace Safety comments with both signed by TRIA. The rule has also been criticized by SBA’s Office of Advocacy which told OSHA its Reg Flex certification of the rule is wrong because it “failed to include the direct and foreseeable costs that small employers would incur as a result of the various new categories of non-employee third-party representatives, beyond safety and health experts, who would now join OSHA during workplace inspections.”
H-2B Legislation
Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have been working on an H-2B bill that would increase the number of visas but essentially ban construction from the program in order to garner support from organized labor. As such, TRIA signed the attached letter to Congress opposing the bill’s restrictions on access to the H-2B visa program by construction employers.
For more information on our Government Relations Committee or the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance (TRIA) please email us at info@tileroofing.org or visit our website at www.tileroofing.org