BY: ROGER S. BRUBAKER, ABC KEYSTONE 2020 CHAIR OF THE BOARD

The COVID-19 pandemic, the ensuing public health issues, and the economic shutdown have been front and center in most of our lives since the end of February this year. President Trump, the CDC and Congress issued many new guidelines and restrictions to control the spread of the virus. Many of these federal mandates were designed to allow for state or local representatives to enact additional restrictions based on the regional virus outbreak as needed. In March, our Pennsylvania Governor closed schools, ordered citizens to shelter at home, and closed all “non-essential” businesses.

As most of us are aware, construction was heavily impacted by this shutdown. Many contractors are just now able to get back to some of the projects which were targeted by the Governor’s edict. Since that shutdown, state legislators have been passing bills to open up sectors of the economy, only to have the governor veto their efforts. Most recently, the legislature attempted a bipartisan veto override of legislation that would end the Governor’s executive orders but came up short of the two-thirds vote needed.

I share this recap as a reminder that “elections have consequences,” and we are currently experiencing the results of some of the tough races lost two and four years ago! Every vote counts and so does your support of like-minded candidates. ABC National has a Political Action Committee (PAC) which supports national candidates, and ABC Keystone has a PA State PAC which helps candidates who believe in free enterprise and the merit shop philosophy at the state and local level. The Keystone Chapter also has an “Advancing the American Dream” fund which accepts corporate or personal contributions. David Greineder, Director of Government Affairs, does a fantastic job of keeping members updated on legislative activity impacting our businesses.

ABC Keystone will be supporting several candidates in key races in November. Heather Heidelbaugh is endorsed for state Attorney General, hopefully ousting Attorney General Josh Shapiro who has been consistently antagonistic against open shop contractors. There are numerous local state representatives in tough races this fall, as well as Congressman Scott Perry who has a hard charging challenger in his district.

ABC National has endorsed President Trump. No matter your opinion on his personality, ABC recognizes that his reduced regulations, policies and actions over the past three+ years have supported free enterprise ideals as well as played a huge role in job creation in many business sectors – including construction. Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats are teeing up the “PRO Act” as their first order of business next term. Among other issues, this legislation reverses all “Right to Work” states and will have a devastating impact on employer’s abilities to combat union organization efforts. We cannot allow this to become law!

So, NOW is the time to ensure our collective voices continue to be heard in Washington and Harrisburg and into the future!

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY!

Be Healthy and Safe,
Roger Brubaker
2020 Chair of the Board
Director of Construction Services
Meadow Valley Electric, Inc.
roger@mvegroup.com
(717) 397-9600

Posted October 5, 2020