On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Barton James, ACCA's senior vice president of government relations, testified before the Democratic Members of the Small Business Committee and Members of the Democratic Caucus.

James's testimony focused on the shortage of skilled workers, which are vital to promulgate proper installations of cutting-edge energy efficient equipment. He stressed the need for the federal government to prioritize technical education support, especially in high schools, that highlight the benefits of employment careers in the skilled trades while promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Additionally, Congress must support reforms that encourage all states to promote veteran apprenticeship programs with small businesses that have a record of success. Such reforms should highlight the skilled trades and facilitate speedy approval of small business apprenticeship programs.
James also underscored the ongoing problem of government agencies creating unique standards, instead of using voluntary consensus standards, which have already been created by bodies organized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Doing so will ensure standards safeguard consumers and the HVACR Industry.