Roofing Day in D.C. 2024 was a success
Roofing Day in D.C. 2024 was held April 16-17 in Washington, D.C, to offer roofing industry professionals the opportunity to advocate on the industry’s behalf regarding workforce challenges and pro-growth tax legislation. This year, we welcomed nearly 250 registered participants from 39 states who engaged with more than 225 congressional offices. In addition to the meetings on Capitol Hill, participants enjoyed numerous opportunities to network with industry professionals and learn from educational presentations. Florida and Ohio won this year’s prize for states with the most attendees, and the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants and the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance tied for largest organization representation for 2024. Thank you to our sponsors who go above and beyond each year to make this a successful event!
Congress passes surveillance reauthorization and foreign assistance legislation
On April 20, President Biden signed a two-year reauthorization of a program known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which passed with bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Officials say this tool is critical for national security, producing information that, for example, led to the 2022 killing of al-Qaida terrorist leader Ayman al-Zawahri. Opponents of this program cite privacy concerns, saying the authority is too broad and could allow FBI access to information about Americans through the program. On April 23, Congress completed bipartisan legislation to provide $95 billion in aid to Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine, which the president signed into law April 24. This bill also included a TikTok divestment provision, imposed sanctions on China, Iran and Russia; and seized Russian assets to help Ukraine rebuild from the war's damage.
Department of Labor releases final overtime rule
On April 23, the Department of Labor announced its final rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees, to modify regulations governing employees who are exempt from receiving overtime compensation under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The final rule will increase the minimum annual salary threshold, currently set at $35,568, in two stages; the threshold will increase to $43,888 July 1, and then to $58,656 Jan. 1, 2025. The rule also will implement automatic increases to the threshold that are tied to the 35th percentile of weekly earnings of full-time non-hourly employees in the lowest wage region of the U.S. Census every three years beginning July 1, 2027.
Additionally, the rule increases the minimum annualized salary threshold to qualify for the highly compensated employee exemption. In comments submitted to the DOL in response to a similar proposed rule released in 2023, NRCA conveyed member concerns that the rule would result in increased costs and additional compliance burdens for employers while also reducing workplace flexibility and compensation for many employees. The final rule will take effect July 1 pending formal publication in the Federal Register.
EEOC releases regulations for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
On April 15, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued final regulations to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which was approved by Congress in 2022 and took effect June 27, 2023. The law expands protections for qualified individuals with respect to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions and requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for such individuals when requested. The implementing regulations offer detailed guidance for employers with respect to compliance, including providing examples of what are considered reasonable accommodations under the law. The regulations will take effect June 18.
