Tile Roofing Industry Alliance Lobbyist, Craig Brightup, has provided the latest government relations update and activities on the following from February 2024:

House Numbers

After winning a NY special election, Democrat former-Rep. Tom Souzzi was sworn in Feb. 28 for the seat he previously held in the House, which now has 219 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and 3 vacancies.

Appropriations Bills

On Feb. 28, the House passed a Continuing Resolution to extend the March 1 shutdown deadline to March 8 for six appropriations bills: Ag-FDA, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, Transportation-HUD, Interior-Environment, and Commerce-Justice-Science. The deadline for the second round is pushed to March 22 for these more contentious bills: Defense, Dept. Homeland Security, and the Depts. of Labor-Health & Human Services-Education.

Senate Minority Leader McConnell

On Feb. 28, Sen. Mitch McConnell announced he’ll step down as the GOP’s Senate leader after the Nov. elections. Frontrunners to replace McConnell are Sens. John Thune (R-SD), John Barrasso (R-WY), and John Cornyn (R-TX).

Ribble Op-Ed

Former Congressman and former NRCA CEO Reid Ribble urged nonunion automakers and employers not to sign “neutrality agreements” when labor unions try to organize their employees.

OSHA Worker Walkaround Rule

On Feb. 9, OSHA sent its Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process rule to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for final review. The rule is opposed by business groups including letters signed by TRIA, and the SBA’s Office of Advocacy finds OSHA failed to include direct/foreseeable costs that small businesses would incur from the rule. OSHA claims it’s “clarifying” the regs to allow not only an employee rep to join an inspection but also third parties. This would allow third-party union reps to join OSHA inspectors at non-union workplaces, plus:

• The 3rd party accompanying an OSHA inspector could be anyone!
• The 3rd party could include personal injury lawyers or self-styled public interest groups.
• Nothing in the rule allows an employer to assess the 3rd party’s qualifications.
• Nothing in the rule restricts a 3rd party’s clothing, which could include union insignias, etc.
• Nothing in the rule restricts a 3rd party’s interaction with employees.
• Nothing in the rule restricts a 3rd party’s numbers, which could be dozens of people.

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