PHCC leverages its relationship with federal lawmakers to educate them on the needs of our industry. By addressing the impact of government policies on contractors and their customers, we seek to influence policy decisions to keep distant the heavy hand of burdensome regulations.
PHCC’s Government Affairs Committee is tasked with identifying threats and opportunities to promote a competitive environment where your businesses can thrive.
Professionalism is safety, safety is professionalism. For PHCC members, there is no discerning these concepts – they are one and the same. Public policy must ensure skilled tradespeople such as plumbing-heating-cooling professionals command the skillset to safely and competently perform work that can have an impact on public health and building resiliency & safety. This is achieved through the establishment and enforcement of codes and standards.
PHCC supports a robust “all of the above” national energy policy with a focus on retaining a diverse and affordable portfolio of options from which Americans can choose to provide a high quality of life and home comfort. State and federal policies should promote a broad market of heating and cooling fixtures. Thanks to advancements in technology, efficiency and carbon reduction can be achieved by incentivizing households to simply install new products regardless of heat source rather than excluding products simply because they run on natural gas or delivered fuels: new products are more efficient by virtue of the fact they are new!
Plumbing, heating and cooling contractors across the country, regardless of their affiliation with PHCC or lack thereof (if you fall in the latter category, learn more about membership here!), struggle to find skilled employees to service their customers’ needs, which can stifle business growth and the ability to pass the trade on to the next generation of skilled professionals. PHCC supports federal policies that open avenues and remove barriers to those who seek secure, skilled employment in consistently high-demand fields such as plumbing and HVAC.
When bills become law, it is incumbent upon federal agencies to enact and enforce those laws through rational and economically feasible regulations. PHCC is actively involved in the federal rulemaking process by consulting with agency staff and drafting public comments on behalf of PHCC to help guide that process. Agencies of focus for PHCC include the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other cabinet-level agencies where regulations have an impact on the p-h-c industry.
Ensuring the true voice of the professional contractor is critical to our efforts and your feedback is important. Have a question? Want to share ideas? Contact PHCC Government Affairs staff directly by sending an email to government@naphcc.org.
As a valuable member benefit, PHCC provides contractors with an audience of federal power brokers. PHCC hosts an annual Legislative Conference, an opportunity for contractors to meet directly with their elected officials in Washington, DC to tell their stories. Our efforts to influence the process are only successful when contractors are on the field, not the bench.