By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone As a companion to the mandatory budget negotiations, legislators have spent the Spring of 2019 looking at another issue dealing with the way the State regulates business. As part of a larger criminal justice effort spearheaded by a group of bipartisan …
Easy Out – State Budget Update
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone In almost every instance, calls for additional spending by Democrats have been met with protracted battles by legislative Republicans, guarding the coffers and protecting taxpayers. For the most part, these calls have continued even in lean years, when incoming revenues are …
Fair Contracting Gets a Boost in Keystone Region
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone For years, Lancaster and Berks Counties have led the charge in promoting free and open contracting by maintaining ordinances that prohibit the use of project labor agreements (PLAs), or pre-hire collective bargaining agreements. These agreements, which are negotiated in secret prior …
Taking ABC’s Message to Washington, D.C.
By: Douglas M. Dvorchak, 2019 Chair of the Board, ABC Keystone Associated Builders and Contractors is taking their message of Free Enterprise and Merit Shop Construction to Washington D.C. Save the date of Wednesday, June 26, to join us as Chapters from across the country descend on Capitol Hill to …
All Politics are Local
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone If even-numbered years where the Office of the President isn’t on the ballot are known as “off-year” elections, then elections in odd-numbered years are the off-off-year elections. Normal turnout in a Presidential election nationwide, while inherently lackluster, usually exceeds 50% of …
Contested Commissioners Charge Ahead
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone Every county within the Keystone region is controlled by two Republican county commissioners and one Democrat. So when there is political contention, it’s usually inter-party squabbles between factions of the Republican party. And those fissures usually are most evident in off-year …
2019’s ‘Must Watch’ Quickly Fades
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone Just months ago, the U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas against several members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 98 for a variety of alleged offenses, including embezzlement, bribery, and theft. While many had been waiting for charges …
Free Enterprise Day Highlights Workforce Development Need
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone Every year, ABC members from across Pennsylvania come together in Harrisburg to take part in the advocacy program known as Free Enterprise Day. The day is packed with meetings with legislators, staff, and administration officials, incorporating networking and other helpful programs …
House Panel to Examine Worker Misclassification and E-Verify Legislation
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone Next week, the House Labor & Industry Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Cox (R-Berks), will hear testimony on two laws related to construction in an effort to better understand the effects of those laws and determine if any changes need to …
House Legislation to Focus on Construction E-Verify
By Brent Sailhamer, Director of Government Affairs, ABC Keystone This week, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) circulated a co-sponsorship memo to his House colleagues for legislation that would require the use of E-verify for construction industry employees. Mackenzie, who maintained a B rating with ABC in the 2017-2018 legislation session and sits …