NRCA attends housing summit sponsored by Chamber of Commerce
On Sept. 14, NRCA participated in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Building for Growth Housing Summit that examined the current state of housing in the U.S., which has emerged as a top economic challenge facing the nation. Given the importance of housing policy to the roofing industry, NRCA has made addressing the need for affordable housing an advocacy priority. The event explored why the supply of housing matters for affordable homeownership, workforce growth, business investment and the U.S.’ long-term economic competitiveness.
Overall, the summit featured dozens of policy experts, business leaders and elected officials addressing everything from the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to resilient building practices, innovative financing and workforce pipelines, and it was revealed the construction industry is currently facing an estimated 250,000 to 450,000 worker shortage. Discussions involving solutions to the shortage included passing immigration reform that addresses workforce needs and greater investments in career and technical education; both issues remain top priorities for NRCA.
A major theme of the event focused on implementation of the ROAD legislation, which was enacted by Congress and became public law during the summer. It serves as the most significant bipartisan housing policy bill in decades. The 381-page bill contained nearly 60 individual provisions designed to increase the housing supply. This includes requiring the Department of Housing and Urban Development to issue best practices regarding zoning and design for cities and states; expansion of affordable housing programs currently available; easing of regulations for development and construction; language to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes; and provisions to relax regulations on community banks to free up more capital to increase mortgage lending. NRCA looks forward to engaging with the administration regarding implementation of the new law and analyzing how it will affect members in the future.
NRCA will continue collaborating with the chamber and other stakeholders as Congress continues to consider policy options to address the affordable housing crisis. Given the vital role the roofing industry plays in ensuring an abundance of safe, accessible housing for all Americans, NRCA is in an excellent position to help shape efforts to improve housing supply throughout the U.S.
Department of Labor issues new guidance regarding pre-apprenticeships and Workforce Pell
On Sept. 8, the Department of Labor released guidance and opinion letters regarding numerous labor-related topics. Two of the notices from the Employment and Training Administration focus on apprenticeship programs. The first notice defines a framework for effective pre-apprenticeship programs and outlines their relationship with career and technical education programs. The new framework is built around five core components:
- Direct pathways from pre-apprenticeships to Registered Apprenticeships through documented partnerships and memorandums of understanding with sponsors
- Industry-driven curriculum aligned to Registered Apprenticeship occupational standards
- Hands-on, work-based learning and career exposure
- Broad partnerships (employers, workforce boards, schools, unions)
- Outcomes tracking, including Registered Apprenticeship placement and completion rates
The second notice describes how Registered Apprenticeship sponsors can leverage Workforce Pell. This guidance highlights the important flexibilities designed to support using Workforce Pell funding to cover the costs of the related instruction component of apprenticeships, including:
- Up to 49% of an eligible apprenticeship program can be delivered by a non-Title IV institution (such as an employer or union), nearly double the standard 25% cap.
- A multiyear apprenticeship’s related instruction can be divided into several separately eligible workforce programs (each between 150-599 clock hours), so longer apprenticeships are not locked out by the 14-week cap.
- Related instruction delivered intermittently over more than 14 weeks (for example, one week a month) can still qualify if the total instructional weeks fall within the 8-14-week range.
- On-the-job learning hours tied to a written employer arrangement can be counted toward the program’s hours, potentially unlocking eligibility for shorter related instruction components and increasing award amounts.
House passes Ratepayer Protection Act aimed at data center energy costs
On Sept. 16, the House took the first step in addressing the debate over the rise of artificial intelligence by approving H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, by a vote of 417-3 with 210 Republicans, 206 Democrats and the sole Independent in the House supporting its passage. The bill is designed to address the growing opposition to data centers because of environmental concerns and the potential effects on local electricity prices, all of which stem from the rapid growth in the use of artificial intelligence in the U.S. Specifically, H.R. 9340 would recommend that states use a federal standard when adopting policies to charge large data centers for any upgrades to the electric grid needed to support their power demands. It also would recommend states consider directing electric utilities to charge data centers for the full, incremental cost of any electricity generation, transmission and distribution upgrades necessary to power the center—even if the center eventually ends its contract with the utility. Utilities would need to secure financial assurances or contributions from the data center to cover upgrades before they take place.
This summer, the bill was modified by the House Energy & Commerce Committee to apply only to data centers that have a peak electric demand of at least 100 megawatts at a single site or campus. The original version of the bill would have applied to any nonresidential facility requiring that level of power, drawing concerns from manufacturers that they would be included. The revised bill was approved by the committee on a vote of 52-0.
The Ratepayer Protection Act has now been referred to the Senate, where leadership is eyeing an expedited legislative maneuver to approve the measure before the November midterm elections.
USCIS announces H-2B visa cap reached
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the agency has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap of 33,000 visas for the H-2B seasonal visa program for the first half of fiscal year 2027 (Oct. 1, 2026-March 31, 2027). The agency indicated Sept. 4 was the final date for which new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date before April 1, 2027, were accepted. NRCA understands there is strong demand for H-2B visas given ongoing workforce shortages and continues advocating for Congress to increase the number of visas to help members meet seasonal workforce needs. Congress has approved an amendment providing the Department of Homeland Security with the authority to issue supplemental visas during each of the past three years, roughly doubling the statutory limit, and we are urging Congress to do so again this year. View more information about the current status of the H-2B seasonal visa program.
