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Midyear Recap: Midyear Meeting Connects
AGC Members with Congress
Meeting also addresses Katrina impact,
rising materials prices and economic issues
Energized and eager to see what the future holds for the
construction industry, contractors attending AGC's 2005 Midyear
Meeting in Washington, D.C., gathered on Capitol Hill to learn
about and influence legislation important to the construction
industry.
Sessions included informative and entertaining speakers who
know the political climate and how to influence it. Timely
updates about the Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts and
how they are impacting the construction industry were also
a central theme.
Another highlight was when many AGC members from across the
country visited their congressional representatives to discuss
the issues that matter most to contractors. Many others joined
in the effort online by visiting the AGC Legislative Action
Center to deliver their messages. The following summary includes
highlights of this year's productive Midyear Meeting.
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| (Left to right) Congressman Lynn
Westmoreland (R-Ga.) with Georgia Branch representatives
Mike Dunham, Ray Morris, Mark Woodall and Jerry Anderson. |
Legislative Sessions
Attendees received exclusive updates from members of the
U.S. House of Representatives during the legislative session.
Congressman John Mica (R-Fla.) explained the future issues
facing transportation.
He also urged members to visit Capitol Hill. Congressman Chris
Cannon (R-Utah) shared the latest on immigration reform legislation
and Congressman Jimmy Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) emphasized the
importance
of passage of the pending WRDA and State Revolving Fund Legislation.
Congressman Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.), chairman of the National
Republican Congressional Committee, gave a political preview
of the 2006 elections. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) emphasized
the need for tax relief to spur economic growth and create
jobs. Ryan comes from an AGC member company and has been instrumental
in getting the industry perspective across on critical tax
issues.
AGC Nominates 2006 National Officers
AGC nominated and approved its 2006 national officers, who
will take office at the the 2006 AGC National Convention in
Palm Springs, Calif.
> Harry L. Mashburn
President
Mashburn Construction
Columbia, S.C.
> Steve Massie
Senior Vice President
Jack L. Massie Contractors
Williamsburg, Va.
> Doug Barnhart
Vice President
Douglas E. Barnhart Inc.
San Diego, Calif.
> Gerald V. Anderson
Treasurer
Anderson Construction
Fort Gaines, Ga.
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| (Left to right) Bill Reece, Marynell
Reece, Bud Cianchette, Sam Hunter. |
Corps of Engineers Answers New Orleans
Questions
As part of a special session devoted to understanding the
impact of Hurricane Katrina, AGC members received a detailed
progress report from Don Basham, chief of engineering and
construction for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the repair
and restoration of the levees in New Orleans. Basham also
explained cleanup activities and reviewed how the USACE and
the contracting community came together to respond to this
emergency. Freddie Rush, executive vice president of the Mississippi
Valley Branch AGC, discussed the issues facing contractors
working on the ground in the affected areas.
Grant Nakayama, assistant administrator for enforcement and
compliance assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency also spoke at the session and shared EPA's current
philosophy on administering regulatory relief for contractors
working on the Gulf Coast clean-up.
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| (Left to right) Vincent J. Giblin,
Joseph J. Hunt, Bob Epifano and Douglas J. McCarron. |
Outlook on Post-Katrina Economics
AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson led a panel of three economists
who discussed the impact on the economy and construction from
Hurricane Katrina. Simonson predicted that materials costs
would rise at least 10% next year instead of the 6 to 8% that
had seemed likely before the storm.
Members and reporters attended the session, and 40 reporters
participated via a conference call. The event, and a press
release on the prediction, drew coverage by CNBC, The Wall
Street Journal, Marketplace Radio, the Associated Press and
other media outlets.
Lifetime Achievement Winner Recognized
Bill Reece (pictured below) was recognized with AGC's Lifetime
Achievement Award for his tireless advocacy for the construction
industry and transportation construction. Reece is a life
director of AGC and has been an active leader in the AGC Political
Action Committee and a past chairman of the Highway Division.
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| Marco Ferreira (middle), Chair of
the Young Constructors Forum, presented Pete Wert (right),
President of AGC's Education and Research Foundation,
and Sam Hunter (left) with YCF's first $5,000 installment
for the YCF Scholarship. |
Union Presidents Discuss State of Labor
In the midst of major changes in the "house of labor,"
AGC hosted a panel of three union general presidents at a
standing-room-only session. The panel included Douglas McCarron,
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America; Joseph
Hunt, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental
and Reinforcing Iron Workers; and Vincent Giblin, International
Union of Operating Engineers.
The session began with each president providing his view
of the current state of union construction and where it's
headed, followed by a series of questions moderated by Union
Contractors Committee Chairman Bob Epifano.
Among other things, McCarron spoke about how he plans to
"add value" by increasing productivity, merging
trust funds and teaching workers about the economics of the
industry. Hunt spoke about his goal to create an environment
where union contractors have flexibility and skilled, motivated
workers. Giblin talked about the importance of training and
productivity, including the need to train more operating engineers
since their average age is now 51.
Much of the question-and-answer period involved discussion
of jurisdictional disputes and the ramifications of the current
turmoil in the AFL-CIO and its Building and Construction Trades
Department.
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| (Left to right) Jose D. Perez and
Roberto Sabater, present Sam Hunter with a check for the
Katrina Construction Workers Fund on behalf of the Puerto
Rico Chapter. |
Water Experts Encourage Water Trust
Fund
Nationally noted political pollster Frank Luntz and Water
Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Jimmy Duncan
(R-Tenn.) spoke at the Chapter Executives and Municipal and
Utilities Contractors Division Meeting about the importance
of funding a long-term, sustainable and reliable trust fund
for clean, safe water infrastructure. Luntz shared a recent
poll that showed that 86% of Americans would support a water
trust fund.
Political Commentator Address Attendees
Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of the Cook Report, columnist
for the National Journal and Congress DailyAM, and political
analyst for NBC and MSNBC, addressed the opening session on
Sunday. He gave attendees a frank analysis of the 2006 and
2008 elections.
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