NPCA President and CEO Fred Grubbe and PCI President and CEO Bob Risser recently returned from Washington, D.C., after meeting with congressional members and staff on Capitol Hill and at FEMA to advance the interests of the precast concrete industry.
“It’s important for the precast concrete manufacturing industry to have a presence in D.C.,” Grubbe said. “The joint NPCA/PCI congressional meetings allowed us to present a complete picture of the precast concrete industry while elevating awareness of industry priorities.”
Discussions centered around workforce development, legislative and private sector initiatives, Buy America, labor agreements and the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Grubbe and Risser also shared how precast concrete’s resiliency and sustainability are ideal for projects designed to combat weather- and climate-related disasters.
Individual meetings were held with U.S. Rep Burgess Owens (R-Utah), chairman of the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee, and legislative staff members from the following Members of Congress:
- Susan Bonamici (D-Ore.)
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.)
- Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.)
- Sam Graves (R-Mo.)
- Lucy McBath (D-Ga.)
- G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.)
- Sharrod Brown (D-Ohio)
- Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.)
- Rick Scott (R-Fla.)
The pair also met with:
- FEMA assistant administrator Pamela Williams
Senior staff member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Lauren Baker said precast concrete’s adaptability is ideal for federal project specifications, and with 693,000 manufacturing jobs open across the United States, it is imperative that people be trained and encouraged to fill those positions.
NPCA is working through staff and its members to address these concerns, but support also is needed from the federal government through legislation and policy initiatives.
Leave a Reply