Masonry Magazine June 2009 Page. 21
FROM MONDAY, APRIL 20, THROUGH WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, A GROUP COMPRISED OF 20 MCAA MEMBERS AND SOME OF OUR NCMA AND BSI COLLEAGUES joined our federal government affairs team at The Keelen Group to descend on Capitol Hill. We presented our legislative agenda to members of Congress. During Hill Day, April 21, and on the morning of April 22, the MCAA visited with more than 40 congressmen, senators, and their staff members.
Our official program launched Tuesday morning with a presentation on immigration and 1-9 compliance, led by Eliot Norman, Esq, an attorney at Williams Mullen.
The Keelen Group then provided a legislative analysis of our Hill Day topics, ranging from immigration and tax reform, military construction issues, and energy policy to the 3-percent withholding tax, health care reform, and workplace and OSHA issues. The legislative climate will continue to be politically charged, but there are a number of items that Congress either must pass, such as annual appropriations bills, or issues that Congress wants to address, such as health care and immigration reform, and climate change policy.
After the briefing, our group took to The Hill, where most attendees met with representatives from the states and regions where they operate. During the meetings, the MCAA attendees had the opportunity to present their specific stories to their members, talking about the state of their businesses, the histories of their companies, and other personal issues they faced, as well as to discuss the MCAA's federal issues.
Our group received quite a bit of feedback from members and their staffs about the likely legislative calendar, as well as key policy proposals and what those proposals may look like. With a budget framework in place, Congress is prepared to begin the annual appropriations process, where federal spending directives will be set. The budget also calls for Congress to draft a health care reform bill, which is sure to be contentious. There seems to be a growing interest in addressing immigration reform, although the major hurdle of a "path to citizenship" still has yet to be resolved.
During our visit with Congressman Wally Herger (CA), we learned that the 3-percent withholding bill has been re-introduced with Congressman Kendrick Meek (FL). The MCAA and The Keelen Group will work with both of these offices to enlist more cosponsors of the legislation and seek tax reform and other legislative vehicles to move this critical legislation forward.
The MCAA and The Keelen Group also will work with a consortium of senators to address masonry sustainability and life-cycle costing provisions in the upcoming Military Construction appropriations bill.