The 2014 PHCC Legislative Conference took place May 21-22 in Washington, D.C. More than 120 contractors and association executives went to Capitol Hill to ask their representatives to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Act. The Perkins Act is dedicated to career and technical education. It is designed to provide individuals with the academic and technical skills needed to prepare students for both postsecondary education and the careers of their choice. Members asked that this act not only be reauthorized, but also receive higher grant funding.
Members also asked their congressmen to be kept in the loop about three regulatory issues: the EPA’s lead paint rule; the final furnace, air conditioning and heat pump rule; and the new water heater regulation. All these regulations are moving forward without the input of contractors. The lead paint rule is being expanded to include commercial and public buildings — without an accurate testing kit, the PHCC said. The water heater regulation intends to increase water heater efficiency, making the heaters larger, more expensive and practically impossible to install without major reconstruction to a building, the contractors said.