WASHINGTON — Members of the Campaign for Quality Construction (CQC) National Issues Conference brought their message to Capitol Hill. They heard legislative experts speak, providing background, insight, and advice on issues that impact the specialty construction industry.

More than 250 CQC contractors met with legislators and their staffs on May 5-7, representing 33 states during the more than 250 scheduled meetings.

During the conference, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) urged support for the Contractors Accountability Act. Rep. Maloney explained that when awarding construction contracts, the U.S. government currently does not make a distinction between a responsible, law-abiding contractor and an unscrupulous one. The bill seeks to create a database where procurement officials would have access to the latest information about a federal contractor’s history of compliance with the law.

Other issues on the CQC agenda included making the estate tax repeal permanent, rapid write-off of leasehold improvements, energy issues, anti-bid shopping, comp time, and prevailing wage.

Representing the interests of more than 60,000 union construction firms, CQC is comprised of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the Finishing Contractors Association (FCA), and the Association of Union Contractors.

Publication date: 05/19/2003