Inside AGC CEO’s Message
January/February 2008

The AGC Legislative Agenda

Effecting change even in the biggest of election years

By AGC CEO Steve Sandherr

According to the political experts, the 2008 election cycle is set to break records for the amount of money the candidates and interested parties will spend to deliver their messages. Many believe these elections will cost as much at $5 billion yes, that’s five b’s. The presidential candidates alone will spend an estimated $500 million each. In comparison, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry spent about half that amount in 2004.

The construction industry must continue to push its message through the barrage of advertising, phone banks, e-mails and volunteers posturing on sometimes important issues, all brought on by the 2008 elections. Our goals are simple we encourage quality-of-life construction improvements, tax policies that favor investment and regulations that are clear and easy to follow.

The tools at our disposal are logic, reason and an undying desire to create the perfect climate in which you can prosper. We have grassroots activists thousands who will write on key issues. We have a state-of-the-art legislative action center that is designed to make it easy for all members to impact public policy.

We have a well-funded political action committee that is focused on electing the candidates who best understand the construction industry. And we have a great reputation for giving good recommendations, accurately describing how policy changes will impact our industry and working well with the coalitions of like-minded people who endeavor to make the industry work better.

While Congress has been unproductive and extremely unpopular (Congressional approval ratings are as much as 10 points below those of the President), AGC has seen some significant progress on key issues this year. Those include the passage of the Water Resources Development Act over a presidential veto, the co-sponsorship of legislation to repeal the 3% withholding provision (H.R. 1023) by more than half of the House of Representatives (237 as of this writing), and the beginning of the work to fix the Highway Trust Fund patch for 2009.

We have been frustrated by the lack of resolution toward a comprehensive solution on illegal immigration. But we are heartened that Congress has not expanded the application of the federal wetlands program by passing H.R. 2421 or its Senate companion, S. 1870. Equally dangerous would have been legislation to eliminate secret ballot elections for union representation, which passed the House (H.R. 800) and nearly passed the Senate (S. 1041), despite widespread opposition.

I predict we will be successful in 2008, despite the distraction of the presidential election and despite a well-funded and active group of adversaries. There is a lot at stake, perhaps starting with the future of the highway program that will begin to take shape with the release of the long-awaited report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.

We will face difficult funding battles for military construction, school construction, wastewater and drinking water infrastructure and airports as entitlements eat more and more of the available federal budget. We are on the look-out for additional tax provisions like the 3% withholding that are sneaked into the tax bill, not because they are good policy, but added just to plug a hole. We will battle efforts to restrict development through myriad well-intentioned but poorly thought-out legislation.

AGC will make a difference. AGC changes facts on the ground. We have a great, reliable, successful and respected group of grassroots activists. We make it easy to get involved. Our PAC will continue to invest your contributions to elect industry allies, and we will continue to give an honest interpretation to legislative proposals. We will accurately describe how policy changes will impact our industry and work with the coalitions that endeavor to make the industry work better. We will be successful legislating in an election year.