TRIA Board Director Named Chair of NRCA’s 2025 Roofing DayJuly 8, 2024

Tile Roofing Industry Alliance Lobbyist, Craig Brightup, has provided the latest government relations update and activities on the following from June 2024:

OSHA Heat Standard
On June 11, OSHA sent its proposed “Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings” standard to OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review.  OIRA reviews most regulations before they are made final and it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
National Apprenticeship System
On June 14, DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sent proposed apprenticeship system changes to OIRA for review.  ETA’s changes are onerous and could halt new programs.  Existing programs could also suffer and problems could hit construction firms needing apprentices in their workforce to qualify for building energy-efficiency tax credits. 
Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)
The House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill for FY25 contains a “rider” prohibiting funds to be used by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to enforce the beneficial reporting rules per the CTA.   This strategy compliments other bills moving through Congress to delay CTA requirements.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)    
President Biden wants Senate confirmation of his NLRB chair for another five years (into Trump’s term if elected).  A June 10 WSJ op-ed criticized renominating Lauren McFerran stating, “the agency has shed any veneer of fairness during her tenure, trampling the rights of small and large businesses.  A series of rulings since 2021 have stretched the protections in labor law wide enough to make workers virtually unfireable, as long as they belong to a union or wish to join one.”  A coalition letter to Congress signed by TRIA urges that hearings be held on McFerran and her record.   

Challenges to NLRB’s Joint-Employer Rule 
On May 7, the NLRB appealed a Texas federal court decision blocking the Joint-Employer rule to the 5th Circuit Appeals Court.  The Texas court favored business, but the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) filed a lawsuit in the DC Circuit Appeals Court to expand the Joint-Employer rule.  Business plaintiffs filed a motion to dismiss to the DC Circuit, which opted to hold SIEU’s lawsuit in abeyance until the 5th Circuit rules on the NLRB’s appeal.

2025 Roofing Day in DC
John Campbell has been named Chair of NRCA’s 2025 Roofing Day in DC Committee.  TRIA’s Fly-In is held in conjunction with Roofing Day and the TRIA team should arrive on Monday, April 7, for a dinner that night and TRIA-specific meetings the next day with members of Congress before the start of Roofing Day activities.  Other TRIA functions will be woven around Roofing Day, too, culminating with a morning meeting on Thursday, April 10, at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  Registration for Roofing Day opens in January 2025 and more details will be coming.

For more information on the TRIA Alliance and our Government Relations efforts, please visit our website at www.tileroofing.org.