As I was saying ...

News headline: State of Florida workers' compensation rates for roofers set to decline by 18 percent

News headline: California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration appoints committee to examine health effects of silica exposure, invites roofing industry representatives to serve

News headline: Texas legislature considers licensing bill for roofing contractors

News headline: City of Chicago to adopt minimum reflectivity levels for residential roofs

News headline: Changes in Congress make gridlock a near certainty

There is a simple, clear message here. As an industry, we increasingly are called upon to address significant issues at the state level while it is frustrating trying to get anything done in Washington, D.C.

Believe me, this is not all bad news. On balance, the roofing industry would prefer to have no new federal legislation than to have too much. Still, the implication is evident. The roofing industry must be engaged at state and local levels, and we must be prepared to react differently than we do at the national level.

State legislatures and regulatory agencies often can act much more quickly than their federal counterparts. In California—and elsewhere—we've seen the effects of legislation by public referendum, which calls for an entirely different lobbying model. And we've seen local governments play increasingly active roles by adopting minimum-wage requirements and expanding the meaning of "eminent domain," for example.

For the roofing industry, all of this means we need to be organized at state and local levels to be heard.

In some places, we are incredibly well-organized. The Florida workers' compensation rate changes, for example, directly are attributable to the lobbying efforts of the Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association Inc.

But we have a long way to go. In some large states, we have no roofing contractor association in the state capital. In other states, we have local associations with more power—and money—than the statewide associations.

There's no quick fix here. Building associations takes time, money and, more often than not, some champions. But the stakes are increasingly high, and roofing contractors have learned they can work incredibly well together. It's time to find our allies and mobilize.

Bill Good is NRCA's executive vice president.