Did you all miss me last week? Richard and I had a successful jaunt in beautiful Columbus, Ohio for AGC of America's annual conference, where we attended classes and trainings and met AGC staff from all over the country. I found it particularly illuminating to meet AGC's national lobbyists, learn about their work on the hill and hear their feedback on our state-level issues impacting the construction industry here in Vermont.

 

Some highlights from last week that I'll flag quickly before I get into this week's news: I'm sure you all know that President Trump once again paused most of his latest, sweeping tariff proposals, this time for 90 days. Evergreen reminder that AGC of America has a standing webpage that has regularly updated tariff information. I hope you all find it helpful and continue to reach out to me if you are looking for further information or feedback on navigating this trade back-and-forth. Speaking of tariffs, the Legislature held a marathon joint hearing last week to discuss recent challenges with U.S.-Canadian trade, and our own Kevin Moyer from Vermont Frames and Foam Laminates did a great job representing the construction industry. You can watch the hearing here and here, with Kevin speaking during the second recording around the 20:30 mark.

 

Now onto this week's developments. AGC-VT testified to the House Transportation Committee about an issue I know is important to you all: speed enforcement in work zones. Specifically, the committee is attempting to trouble-shoot issues that have arisen in the implementation of last year's Act 135, which called for a pilot program for the use of automatic speed enforcement cameras in work zones. Kellen Cloud, director of operations for Green Mountain Flagging, did a phenomenal job illustrating to the committee the gravity of the situation. He spoke from the heart and offered a detailed picture of how scary and unsafe it can be for workers on the ground when drivers fly through active work zones at 55+ miles per hour. As the committee discussed the issue, Rep. Ken Wells said, "Kellen's just given us all the data we need" to take action. Even some of the most politically progressive members of the committee came away calling for stricter enforcement of speeding in work zones. Here's one quote from Rep. Kate Lalley:

 

 

Kellen's testimony (around 37:00) is definitely worth a watch, and if you have a stake in this issue, you might consider watching the whole hearing to understand some of the reasons why lawmakers are struggling to implement the program (TLDR: No law enforcement agencies have responded to the state's RFP to begin piloting the program, so legislators are in limbo as they try to find a way to get the program off the ground). If you'd like to talk about this issue with me, please call or email anytime.

 

Also last week, our very own Ben Osha — a last name that I believe legally obligates him to work in the construction industry, whether he likes it or not — made the case to the Senate Economic Development Committee for state support for a workforce development program AGC-VT hopes to build in collaboration with our members (you!) in order to boost Vermont's home-building capacity. You can watch here at the time stamp 1:06:15. The idea for the program stems from a fact we all know to be true: Even if all permits and regulations were lifted tomorrow, Vermont's construction industry doesn't have the workers available to build the housing we need. Ben did a great job explaining to the committee where he sees young, talented CTE students falling off the pathway to careers in construction — and how we can keep them on track with a concerted recruitment and workforce development plan. Money is tight in Montpelier this year, but we're hopeful state budgeters see this as a worthwhile investment in housing, Vermont's youth and the construction industry, overall.

 

And lastly, come Friday morning, the Senate Transportation Committee passed this year's T-Bill by a unanimous 5-0 vote. We can expect the bill to hit the Senate floor next week, then it will have to go into a conference committee to rectify its differences from the House-passed version (which are many. You may remember that the House passed a much briefer first draft in order to allow the more seasoned Senate Transportation Committee to craft the bulk of the bill.) AGC-VT continues to push for more robust transportation investments in order to maintain our roadways and infrastructure — not just in this T-Bill, but looking ahead, as well.

 

That's all for now. Reach out anytime.