November 2016: Government Affairs Words: Dan KamysThe Sun Is Shining on MCAA By Stephen Borg I write this column having just returned to Washington, D.C., after another great couple of days with the Mason Contractors Association of America at our Mid-Year Meeting in beautiful Scottsdale, Ariz. I’d like to send out a big thank-you to Mike and Colleen Sutter for hosting us in their home state and showing us how therapeutic and inspirational the Arizona landscape and sun can be. As I stood before the MCAA members present at the meeting, I looked out across the room and was absolutely awed. Did I spend too much time lying out by the pool the day before in the hot Arizona sun? I did not recognize half the people in attendance! We had new members from all over the country — Massachusetts, Tennessee, Florida and elsewhere — members who are eager to jump in and become involved in MCAA and make their voices heard both at home and in Washington, D.C. I am constantly amazed at how committed, hard-working, and proud MCAA members are of their businesses and industry. As I mentioned during the meeting, that passion has gone a long way to put our association of about 700 members on par with some of the biggest associations in the country when it comes to our respect and impact on Capitol Hill. Now is the time to make sure your voices are being heard as we get ready to welcome a new administration and a new Congress. In the coming months, we will see many new chairmen of important Congressional committees take the gavel and new political appointees at all the agencies within the federal government. New members of Congress will be elected, many of whom may not have the first idea what a mason contractor is or the way that regulations and laws can adversely impact your business and our industry. We have seen many issues arise over the past couple of months as President Obama packs his bags and gets ready to leave the White House, such as new estate tax regulations specifically targeted at family businesses, numerous OSHA regulations and interpretations that will add many more layers of bureaucracy to your everyday business doings, and continued fights over our check-off program and the massive OSHA silica rule. Now is the time for both new and longtime MCAA members to take the great momentum we learned about in Scottsdale and turn it into one, massive, loud voice in Washington, D.C. MCAA now has a tool that makes contacting your member of Congress as simple as hitting a button on your smartphone. Take the time to download MCAA’s new mobile app, and make tweeting or calling your member of Congress as easy as 1-2-3. What an amazing tool to allow you to contact your representatives from anywhere…your worksite, while you eat lunch, right after reading an article of interest in the newspaper or, even better, right before you head to the airport on your way to our 2017 Legislative Days in Washington, D.C.! The reports we heard in Scottsdale from our committee leaders and MCAA leadership got me excited for the future of the MCAA. The faces of so many new, committed and active members in Arizona fired me up to get back to D.C. and start laying the groundwork for a productive new year of hitting Capitol Hill to make our voices heard. The sun is shining on the Mason Contractors Association of America, and the future is bright. We must take this story to capitols throughout the country and ensure that our government is working for us. Won’t you join us?