Registration for Roofing Day in D.C. 2026 remains open; hotel deadline nears
Book now! The deadline to reserve your room at the Roofing Day in D.C. 2026 headquarters hotel is March 27.
Join your friends and colleagues April 14-15 for the largest advocacy event dedicated solely to the roofing industry. Each year during Roofing Day in D.C., roofing professionals meet with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill to discuss major issues of importance to the roofing industry. Our priority issues this year will focus on solutions to workforce shortages and addressing the U.S.’ affordable housing crisis.
All you need to do is register! During the event, expert speakers and panelists will inform and inspire you to help you prepare for your meetings on Capitol Hill. As always, attendees will have ample opportunity to network and connect with fellow professionals, and we encourage you to bring key employees to the event.
For more information about the program and to register, please visit www.nrca.net/roofingday!
Supreme Court to review DHS decisions regarding Temporary Protected Status
On March 16, the Supreme Court agreed to review lower court decisions regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s 2025 terminations of Temporary Protected Status for the countries of Haiti and Syria. TPS was enacted by Congress in 1990 and allows qualifying individuals to live and work in the U.S. legally because of wars, natural disasters and other humanitarian conditions in their home country. In February, a U.S. district court ruled DHS’s termination of TPS for Haiti was unlawful and postponed the termination indefinitely, and similar litigation is pending with respect to DHS’s decision regarding TPS for Syria from fall 2025. The Supreme Court has consolidated these cases and is expected to issue a final legal decision by the end of its current term in June. In the interim, affected individuals in most cases should be able to continue working in the U.S., and employers who have employees with TPS from these countries should check with counsel regarding their work authorization status. More information is available here and here.
NRCA will continue to monitor this litigation and provide updates as warranted by developments. NRCA also continues advocating for the Dignity Act (H.R. 4393), bipartisan immigration reform legislation that includes the opportunity for individuals who have worked legally under TPS and meet certain qualifications to earn permanent legal status so they can continue contributing to their companies and communities. Efforts to advance the Dignity Act will be a major focus of Roofing Day in D.C. April 14-15, and this event will provide a great opportunity to advocate for a permanent solution regarding TPS and other workforce-related immigration issues. Register today for Roofing Day in D.C.
House gives final approval to legislation renewing small-business research programs
On March 17, the House approved S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, by a vote of 345-41. This bipartisan legislation, which is expected to be signed into law by President Trump after the Senate unanimously approved the measure two weeks ago, will extend a pair of federal programs providing seed money for small businesses to research and develop cutting-edge technologies.
Specifically, S. 3971 restores the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs through the end of fiscal year 2031 (the previous authorization lapsed Sept. 30, 2025). Under the bill, federal agencies with annual research budgets, including the Defense, Health and Human Services, and Energy departments, are required to set aside dedicated amounts to award small businesses. The programs, known as “America’s Seed Fund,” are led by the Small Business Administration and designed to support innovation, typically distributing more than $200 million each year to startups that qualify for the programs.
NRCA supports congressional amendment to expand H-2B visas
On March 17, NRCA joined with allied groups in the H-2B Workforce Coalition in sending a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in support of expanding the number of H-2B visas available for fiscal year 2027, which begins Oct. 1, 2026. The letter urges the adoption of an amendment to exempt visas allocated to certified seasonal employers that have used the program in past years from the statutorily mandated cap of 66,000 visas per year for the H-2B program. Adoption of the amendment in the fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security will provide an opportunity for the agency to issue supplemental visas above the statutory cap if warranted by economic conditions. NRCA recognizes strong demand for H-2B visas given ongoing workforce shortages and will continue advocating for this amendment as the House and Senate move forward with crafting appropriations legislation. H-2B visas are an important tool to help roofing industry employers meet seasonal workforce needs.
President issues two Executive Orders aimed at housing affordability
On March 13, President Trump issued two Executive Orders on housing to remove regulatory barriers and provide better access to mortgage credit to help ease the U.S.’ housing affordability crisis.
The Executive Order regarding regulatory barriers calls for the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support federal permitting reforms for residential construction under wetlands and stormwater requirements. In addition, the order directs the secretaries of commerce, housing and urban development, and transportation to eliminate overly burdensome rules and reform programs that constrain residential development. It also calls for federal agencies to review energy, water and alternative energy requirements for housing, including manufactured homes, and encourages the incentivization of state and local governments to adopt regulatory best practices to speed up permitting and reduce costly design and building mandates.
The Executive Order to expand credit access directs federal banking regulators on activities such as revising supervisory guidance to support responsible construction lending by community banks; exploring opportunities to expand financing options for small home builders; modernizing appraisal regulations by expanding alternative valuation models; reducing unnecessary appraisal requirements for low-risk transactions; setting clearer timelines for appraisals; and simplifying appraiser qualification requirements.
NRCA has made addressing the need for affordable housing an advocacy priority because it is an issue that unites the roofing industry and is timely given its current national focus. It will be a featured topic at Roofing Day in D.C., where two complementary pieces of legislation will be highlighted that would incentivize the conversion of vacant or underused commercial property, as well as the construction and/or upgrading of residential homes in certain areas of the U.S.
