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This Week's Top News 6/11/21

1. NECA RESPONDS TO AMENDMENTS ON HOUSE SURFACE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), marked up H.R. 2, the INVEST ACT. There were over 100 amendments to the legislation. The stream of the entire markup can be found here.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA sent a letter in response to the amendments filed. We will continue to advocate for a comprehensive infrastructure bill.

2. WATER QUALITY PROTECTIONS AND JOBS CREATION ACT ADVANCES TO THE FULL HOUSE

This week, H.R. 1915, the Water Quality and Job Creation Act of 2021, was approved by the House Transportation Committee with bipartisan support. This infrastructure bill would invest $50 billion over the next 5 years in wastewater, stormwater, and water treatment infrastructure. It also would reauthorize the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and provide additional grant funding under the Clean Water Act.

NECA’s Look Ahead: This NECA-supported infrastructure bill is projected to create thousands of good paying jobs for our contractors and industry. We will continue to advocate for House passage of this critically needed legislation.

3. SECRETARY OF LABOR TESTIFIES BEFORE THE EDUCATION & LABOR COMMITTEE

On Wednesday, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh testified in front of the House Education & Labor Committee on his department’s priorities and the forthcoming Emergency Temporary Standard COVID-19 safety rule. This rule had been under White House review since April and was released on Thursday. The safety rules will be limited to healthcare settings but was originally anticipated to cover all workplaces.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA Government Affairs is anticipating guidance for other industries to be released shortly. We will continue to monitor and work with the DOL on our industry’s safety needs.

Spotlight: ELECTRI International Executive Director, Josh Bone, Testifies Before Congress

On Thursday, Josh Bone testified on behalf of NECA at a hearing in front of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure. The hearing, titled “Utilization of Small Contractors in the Infrastructure Plan,” centered around small business needs that should be addressed in the forthcoming 2021 infrastructure package. During the hearing, Josh discussed the following topics:

Workforce shortages
Recruitment
Payment delays
Materials cost hikes

We want to thank the committee for inviting Josh to testify on NECA’s behalf and we commend Josh on representing NECA and the construction industry well!