Roofing industry meets with members of Congress during Roofing Day in D.C. 2022
On April 5-6, roofing professionals from throughout the U.S. met with members of Congress to advocate for solutions to workforce and supply chain challenges through immigration reform, Perkins career and technical education grants, and reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Roofing Day in D.C. 2022 hosted 224 participants—and 88 people were attending for the first time—during the two-day event packed with motivating and educational speakers, networking receptions and meetings with 173 members of Congress and their staffs. NRCA is happy to report 62% of these meetings were in person, and attendees were able to meet with Congress members from 34 different states. The top state represented was Ohio, followed by Texas, California, Florida and Maryland.
NRCA would like to thank everyone who took time away from their businesses to speak with one voice on Capitol Hill. And a special thank you to this year’s sponsors, who helped make the event possible. Please mark your calendars for Roofing Day in D.C. 2023 April 18-19.
Inflation rises to 8.5%—the highest in 40 years
On April 12, the Department of Labor announced higher than predicted inflation numbers with the consumer price index rising 1.2% in March compared with February. This is the highest annual rate of inflation since December 1981, driven mostly by the cost of necessities—food, shelter and fuel.
Formal bipartisan immigration reform negotiations to restart in the Senate
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced they want to convene a group of senators to revive immigration reform discussions as early as this month. This will be an enormous lift going into the November midterm elections, but these discussions could reset the table for action during a potential lame duck session of Congress after the elections.
Back in 2013, the Senate passed legislation that would have paired border security, overhauling immigration laws and creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants if they can meet certain benchmarks.
Durbin is suggesting the group will focus on bills that already have been introduced, noting “there are a lot of bills out there.” Tillis is urging the group to “think big and then from that try to come up with bipartisan consensus.” Immigration reform likely will center around the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals population, border security and asylum reform, among other provisions.
NRCA challenges you to give $18 to ROOFPAC by April 18
NRCA challenges you to give $18 by April 18 to support its political action committee, ROOFPAC. And we are making it easier than ever by accepting contributions online! Already contributed this year? That’s great—thank you! NRCA members can contribute any amount up to $5,000 annually, and we welcome any contribution. What’s another $18?
As ROOFPAC grows stronger, so does the voice of the roofing industry. Let’s effect change together!
ROOFPAC is the federally registered political action committee of NRCA, and contributions will be used for political purposes. Contributions to ROOFPAC are not tax deductible and the name, address, occupation and employer’s name of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 during a calendar year will be reported to the Federal Election Commission. Contributions are voluntary, and you have the right to refuse to contribute without any reprisal.
