NECA Political Leadership Summit Reaches Across the Aisle on Capitol Hill
Brings Legislators Together on Energy, Small Business Issues
While the national party conventions offered constituents the opportunity to hear directly from political leaders, members of the National Electrical Contractors Assn. (NECA) Political Leadership Council (PLC) took their message to Capitol Hill last week, where they met with their elected officials, received a briefing on national economic issues, and discussed what’s on the mind of small business owners directly with leaders making the decisions that affect their businesses.
Energy policy dominated much of the two-day meeting. NECA recently proposed a policy statement on “energy independence” emphasizing the need for the association to continue to work within the legislative and regulatory arenas to help improve electric reliability and infrastructure investment, maintain the diversity of available fuel resources, enhance energy efficiency, and increased use of renewable energy. Legislators who spoke at the PLC Summit welcomed this involvement.
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), a strong advocate for increased use of solar technologies, complimented NECA’s advocacy for renewable technologies. “By funding training in PV [photovoltaic] panel installation, NECA is making sure that the technology necessary to use renewable energy sources is correctly and safely installed,” he said.
Other legislators who joined the Summit’s industry’s reception at the U.S. Capitol included Rep. John Porter (R-NV), Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), and 12 others. Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business, was honored as Legislator of the Year in a special award given by PLC Chairman Jerry Nixon.
“The PLC has done a tremendous job in bolstering NECA’s political action committee,” said Lake Coulson, NECA executive director of government affairs. ECPAC was recently recognized as one of the 50 largest political action committees in the country. “Member involvement is crucial to any association’s political outreach, and PLC members are tremendous advocates for their industry. Through ECPAC and the PLC, NECA is able to raise the industry’s issues and profile on the national political stage. Our access to Washington insiders and policy-makers give us direction in the pursuit of our legislative priorities.”
About ECPAC and the PLC: Founded in 1978, the Electrical Construction Political Action Committee (ECPAC) has helped elect scores of industry-friendly members of Congress. In 2001, NECA made the commitment to bring ECPAC to the $1 million level. NECA members join the Political Leader Council (PLC) to show leadership in political activities; contributions to ECPAC are the primary method for demonstrating that commitment. ECPAC reached its $1 million goal in 2004 and has exceeded that amount every year, making it the largest specialty contractor PAC in existence. ECPAC is also nationally ranked as one of the top 50 PACs in operation.
About NECA: NECA is the voice of the $130 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light, and communication technology to buildings and communities across the U.S. NECA’s national office and 119 local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research and standards development.. For more information, visit www.necanet.org.
Contact Information
Beth Margulies, Director, Public Relations
301-215-4526, beth.margulies@necanet.org
