NorCal NECA was well represented at the annual Legislative Conference held last week in Washington, D.C. Contractors Steve and Charlotte Hanson (SD Electric, Inc.), Kurt and Nadia Brinkman (Intrepid Electronic Systems, Inc.), Greg Long (Long Electric Company), Collin Weiner (CalEnergy Electrical Corporation), and John Dillon (Hamilton & Dillon Electric), along with Andre Gardner (NCECI), and NECA staff members Pete Butler, Juanita Mitchell and Greg Armstrong were able to strengthen relationships with our experienced representatives, as well as meet with new members of Congress who are part of the largest freshman group in US History!

Our group met with nine members of Congress and one of the key meetings was with Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), who has offered to assist in our efforts to improve Local Business Preference on federal sites such as Travis and Beale Air Force Bases. As Chairman of the Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, Congressman Garamendi is also offering to propose policy suggested by Andre Gardner to ensure employers on federal projects properly classify their workers and provide workers’ compensation insurance. We will be working with our National NECA Government Affairs staff, as well as Congressman Garamendi’s office to move these policies forward.

Our group also promoted passage of HR-2344, a bill designed to further reform change-order policies by requiring immediate payment of at least 50% of change-order billings. Also, in regards to change-order and prompt payment laws, Chapter President Greg Long received special recognition from Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) for his advocacy and testimony in support of HR-4854, a law that recently passed relating to transparency in change-order policy. Other key issues we covered were Infrastructure and Transportation, tax policy and pension plan reform. A huge thank you to those that attended and participated in our democracy.