The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s (NSSGA) Legislative & Policy Forum (LPF) returns to Washington this month, with tax reform and the highway bill’s reauthorization topping the list for discussion with the nation’s lawmakers.
With the 119th Congress convening in January, NSSGA says its Sept. 24-27 LPF provides a platform to get the industry’s business in motion as key elections loom this November.
“This is really our opportunity to make sure we can hit the ground running on Day 1 in the next Congress,” says Michele Stanley, executive vice president and chief advocacy officer at NSSGA. “This is really our chance to continue to build those relationships and get lawmakers thinking about the issues they need to tackle first thing in the next Congress – no matter who wins the majority.”
NSSGA and its members won’t be going to Capitol Hill alone this year, as the LPF’s Hill Day is being jointly held with the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA).
“We really are looking for Hill Day to be a coordinated and coalition effort with the three associations,” Stanley says. “Everything we’re trying to do on Wednesday afternoon and evening (Sept. 25) and all day on Thursday (Sept. 26) is a group effort.”
Key issues
Tax reform and the highway bill’s reauthorization should drive Hill Day discussions for members of all three associations.
With many of the provisions in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) expiring in 2025 and the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) providing funding through September 2026, the 119th Congress will be tasked with addressing follow-ups to both pieces of legislation.
The TCJA is, obviously, the more pressing matter at hand.
“There are a lot of conversations happening on the Hill right now with both sides – Democrats and Republicans – kind of getting their ducks in a row for whoever ends up being in power and what that looks like,” Stanley says. “There are many provisions that the industry really cares about [like] the R&D tax credit, bonus depreciation and estate tax. I think the biggest conversation is probably going to be around the 199A, which is the pass-throughs and S corporation provision.”
According to Stanley, having NSSGA members in Washington to share their experience with lawmakers ultimately makes a difference as new legislation is pursued.
“There are stories that can be told from each company with every one of those provisions,” she says. “It’s not just small members talking about estate tax and 199A, but the big [producers] care about bonus [depreciation] and not using percentage depletion as a pay-for.”
Similarly, NSSGA members have a platform with the LPF to share their experience – the good and bad – related to IIJA and highway reauthorization.
“We are one of the only industries that actually has revenue ideas for the tax bill,” Stanley says. “We see it as a big opportunity to fix the Highway Trust Fund solvency issue in tax reform. So, we will be talking about that as part of the solution, as well.”
Additional talking points
Another issue Stanley expects to garner some discussion on Hill Day is material neutrality.
“That’s something we work pretty closely on with NRMCA and NAPA, ensuring that appropriations bills, [the] infrastructure bill and even the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) are all material neutral and don’t have any preference language for any materials over another,” Stanley says. “That goes for whether it’s concrete versus asphalt, or whether it’s mass timber versus concrete.
“All of those decisions should be left to the project engineers who know the project and know the geographic situations that a member of Congress in D.C. would not,” she adds.
Yet another talking point for Hill Day is the industry’s Buy America exclusion and making sure it’s implemented properly.
What else to expect
While Hill Day is a key component of NSSGA’s LPF, other business is conducted at the meeting. The association hosts a variety of speakers each year, and this month’s event is no different as Karl Rove, former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, is among those expected to address NSSGA members.
“He’s going to come speak on Thursday morning (Sept. 26) before we go to the Hill,” Stanley says. “The NRMCA and NAPA folks will also be there. We’re excited to have him share his thoughts on the election and what he sees happening in November.”
David Kearby, executive director of TRIP (The Road Information Program), is also slated to address the LPF.
“TRIP does a bunch of really good surveys and studies, working closely with state DOTs,” Stanley says. “They usually have a lot of really great information that the industry then uses when we go to the Hill.”
Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-New York) will also join the LPF. Langworthy is the 2024 recipient of NSSGA’s Rock Star Award.
“He is a freshman, but he has been very helpful to the industry in the short time he has been in Congress,” Stanley says. “He has helped with our language in the Farm Bill, and we’re hoping to be able to announce the creation of an aggregate caucus. He will be the lead Republican on the aggregate caucus.”
As Stanley describes, Langworthy is an example of an NSSGA ally the association partnered with even before he was elected to Congress.
“The way we see it: This year’s freshmen are next year’s chairmen or subcommittee chair,” Stanley says. “The sooner we can build relationships and make sure they understand the industry – and that we are here to help them learn and to educate them – the better.”
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