Capitol Corner

White House signing ceremony

On March 9, R. Craig Silvertooth, NRCA's director of federal affairs, and I joined guests invited to the White House to witness the signing of the economic stimulus legislation. President Bush signed the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002, supported by NRCA, in the Rose Garden.

About 100 people attended the event, including Vice President Dick Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). Attending Cabinet officials included Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill and Secretary of Commerce Don Evans. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and her senior staff also were present providing an excellent opportunity to discuss the Department of Labor's (DOL's) agenda for the coming year.

NRCA member attends administration conference

On March 18-19, Barbara Dalsin, president of NRCA member M & S Roofing Inc., Blaine, Minn., attended the conference "Women Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century" held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Bush gave the keynote address, and speakers included Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Christopher S. "Kit" Bond (R-Mo.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.).

The invitation-only conference was co-sponsored by DOL and the Small Business Administration (SBA) and focused on the crucial role of women-owned businesses in the United States' economic recovery. SBA estimates there are 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States.

Dalsin's participation in the conference allowed the roofing industry to be represented. Issues discussed included trade, health insurance, taxes, raising capital and retirement security.

Small-business agenda

On March 19, Bush announced a new policy agenda specifically for small businesses. The agenda includes providing new tax incentives to make it easier for small businesses to make job-creating investments; giving small-business owners more power to provide health care for their uninsured employees and improve health-care options for employees who already have insurance; tearing down the regulatory barriers to job creation for small businesses and giving small-business owners a voice in the complex, confusing federal regulatory process; and saving taxpayer dollars by ensuring full, open competition to government contracts.

Bush strongly urged lawmakers to support the banding together of small businesses in association health plans (AHPs). NRCA supports AHPs, and Bush's commitment to them is vital to gaining congressional approval. AHPs would help small businesses buy quality health coverage at more affordable rates by pooling their bargaining power through qualified associations, such as NRCA, and exempting such coverage from state benefit mandates. The House of Representatives approved AHPs in patients' bill of rights legislation (HR 2563) passed in 2001, but the Senate has been less receptive to the idea.

ROOFPAC endorses Talent

NRCA's political action committee, ROOFPAC, has endorsed former Missouri Congressman James Talent (R) for the U.S. Senate. Talent is running for the seat currently held by Sen. Jean Carnahan (D).

Talent served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1992-2000 and chaired the Committee on Small Business. During those years, he championed AHPs and was on the forefront of almost every issue important to NRCA.

For example, Talent held a congressional hearing about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) fall-protection standard that figured prominently in OSHA's decision to modify enforcement of the standard.

ROOFPAC supported Talent throughout his tenure in Congress and held a dinner in 1996 at which NRCA-contractor members honored him as an NRCA "hero." Upon his leaving Congress, NRCA and many other associations presented Talent with a plaque saluting him as a hero of small business. Talent left office in 2000 to run for governor of Missouri and lost by about 21,000 votes (Gov. Bob Holden won with 49 percent of the votes; Talent received 48 percent of the votes).

Craig S. Brightup is NRCA's vice president of government relations.