US Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Obamacare

Just as we had previously predicted, the Supreme will hear the challenge to the health care overhaul law brought by 26 states and NFIB. 

The arguments are expected to be heard sometime in March, and a decision would most likely follow sometime in June in the heat of the Presidential Election. "The health care law has not lived up to its promises of reducing costs, allowing citizens to keep their coverage or improving a cumbersome system that has long been a burden to small-business owners and employees, alike," said NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner. 

The NFIB plans to argue the individual mandate provision of the health care law is a violation of the US Constitution and can not stand on its own without it, NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner writes, "the existence of the individual mandate will set a precedent that will allow and embolden Congress to compel Americans to do, and to buy, whatever the government commands," Read More

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Senate Officially Passes Repeal of 3% Witholding Tax on Public Contracts

The Senate has officially passed the bill repealing the 3% percent withholding rule with a 95-0 vote. 

NJECPAC have long supported the measures repeal working closely with both IEC and ABC on this and other issues plaguing the business community in Washington.  

Republicans have been on board with the repeal of the measure for a number of years. It is refreshing to see that the Democrats that have been blocking the measure are finally catching up with what matters to Business. The President has also succumbed, and agreed to sign the measure into law. 

It is comforting to finally see a bill get bi-partisan support and to know that all of our time and efforts spent in Washington pressing legislators on this issue were not in vain. 

As Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass), the sponsor of the underlying withholding bill, said, “This is just the kind of thing we have been calling for, just the sort of thing we should be doing a lot more of around here.” 

The Senate also passed a bill offering tax incentives to companies that hire veterans (94-1). 

Read Full Story Here:

Next week, House Republicans will attempt to advance legislation combating the NLRB’s rule for “quickie union elections.” John Kline (R-Minn) stated, “We can’t wait for Democrats in Washington to wake up to the fact that the NLRB’s actions are wreaking havoc on American workplaces.” 

As with any issue effecting our members and their businesses, we will continue monitor this one closely. Full Story Here:

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NJ IEC Wins 2011 IEC National Legislative Chapter Of The Year Award

New Jersey Independent Electrical Contractors Wins 2011

IEC National Legislative Chapter Of The Year Award

From Left to Right; IEC National President Mike Kallmeyer, NJ-IEC ED Eric DeGesero, Government Affairs Director Joseph Hovanec Jr., And NJ-IEC President Arthur Carver



New Jersey Independent Electrical Contractors was named the 2011 Legislative Chapter of the Year at the 2011 IEC National Convention and Expo in Louisville Kentucky.

IEC National Association has over 60 chapters Nationwide. The Award is New Jersey IEC's third consecutive Legislative Chapter of the Year Award having also won the Award in 2009 & 2010 

New Jersey Independent Electrical Contractors Chapter President Arthur Carver, IEC Northeast Regional Director Joseph Hovanec Jr. and NJ-IEC Executive Director Eric DeGesero Accepted the Award from 2011 IEC National President Mike Kallmeyer. 

NJ-IEC was recognized for its efforts to create a fair, equal, and safe workplace for all electrical contractors. NJ-IEC continues to maintain their long time Alliance with their Continuing Political Committee (NJECPAC) and other Electrical Contractor organizations throughout NJ for the common cause of working with the Legislature and Governor’s office to support and pass a package of tax relief bills.

The Independent Electrical Contractors National Association (IEC) also has a strong Nationally Recognized Government Affairs Committee representing Independent Electrical Contractors on Legislative and Regulatory issues in Washington DC. IEC National provides www.iecvotes.com enabling Electrical Contractors across the country to contact their Legislators in Washington on important issues affecting their business.



"I want to personally thank NJ-IEC and their members for their strong undying support of our NJECPAC. NJ-IEC members are among our strongest financial supporters. NJ-IEC members understand the importance of Government Affairs Representation to their Businesses and our Industry" said NJECPAC Chairman Joe Coviello, pictured. 




Coviello went on to say " I know I can speak for all NJECPAC members and member Organizations in offering NJ-IEC our appreciation for their Leadership in Government Affairs not only in New Jersey but also in Washinton DC. Once again, congratulations to New Jersey IEC on a job well done"

Please Help your NJECPAC continue to work to protect you and your business from damaging legislation and regulations from Trenton and Washington DC. NJECPAC provides the funding for Merit Shop Legislative Initiatives for Electrical Contractors and Small Businesses across New Jersey.

NJECPAC funding comes from generous contributions received from individual contractors, small businesses, individual local trade organizations, and individual taxpayers that each have an interest in protecting the industry in which they make their livelihood.

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Union contractors meet with basic trade leaders for strategic planning session

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) representing Union Contractors recently held a Trades Forum meeting in Washington, AGC members and their staff from across the country attended the meeting provided an opportunity for union contractors to voice their concerns to leaders of the national unions and the Association. 

Labor leaders decried lost man-hours and jobs over the past two years and mentioned some of their efforts to manage the crisis. They also discussed efforts to raise capital for both public and private construction and to be even more politically active.  

Items discussed included joint efforts with contractors to market the value of union construction in terms of productivity and training, as well as outreach to non-signatory contractors seeking to overcome anti-union prejudices. Initiatives to boost training including a significant increase in journeyman upgrading, development of a new, state-of-the-art training center and added focus on training craft workers to keep up with changing technology and materials.

The meeting also included discussion of cost-competitiveness, jurisdictional disputes and other inter-union strife, and workforce development. Read More 

We believe AGC Members have a long road ahead of them given the fact that the wages that their members are forced to pay their union employees are as high as 50% higher than Merit Shop Contractors who already pay their employees well. That in itself inhibits union contractors from being competitive, add to that the lavish benefit packages they have signed on to give their union employees and it is no wonder they find it difficult to compete in the free market private sector.

Their inability to compete on a level playing field has in fact been negotiated and agreed to by their own members. Their own self destructive contracts are the primary reason why they are forced to spend hundreds of millions on political advocacy to get any substantial work in this economy at all. 

Meanwhile the Republican controlled House has passed at least 17 Jobs bills that can help AGC members and their union employees. However, those measures sit languishing in the Senate on Harry Reids (D) desk who has no intention of considering any of them. 

Perhaps on this election day they should take a good look in the mirror to see where the blame for their troubles really lie.....Or, they can maintain their anguish by going to the Polls and voting for every Democrat on the ballot. 

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Senate moves forward with Debate on repeal of 3 percent withholding

The Senate voted yesterday to move forward with debate on the House-passed bill that would repeal the 3 percent withholding requirement for government contractors.  

The Measure passed the Senate with a 94-1 vote. A final passage vote may take place as early as Thursday.

The bill, H.R. 674, was easily approved by the House in a 405-16 vote. However, the bill that paid for the repeal of the withholding rule, which scaled back the healthcare law's expanded access to Medicaid, had scant support from Democrats, and was approved 262-157.

While some Senate Democrats might have issues with the House pay-for bill, the Senate is expected to vote favorably on the legislation as approved by the House. The Obama administration supports both the repeal bill and the pay-for.

More on the Senate vote can be found Here 

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NJ's Licensed professionals owe state $13.8M in overdue fines,

Licensed professionals such as doctors, accountants, Plumbers & Electricians owe New Jersey $13.8 million in overdue fines for everything from lying about their education to sexually harassing a patient during a checkup, and state officials concede they haven’t done enough to collect the money. 

The unpaid fines were disclosed by state officials after The Star-Ledger reviewed six years worth of records from New Jersey’s 46 Licensing and Disciplinary Boards that are charged with protecting consumers from dishonest or dangerous professionals. The review showed that, 28 percent of fines went uncollected.  

"Consumers are going to these professionals, and some of them did things that meant they needed to be fined or reprimanded, yet they’re getting away with not paying," said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action, a government watchdog group. "If there are no punishments for what they do, then they’ll continue to do it."

In response to questions from The Star-Ledger, state officials said changes are already in the works. Thomas Calcagni, head of the Division of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the boards, said that by the start of next year, all the boards will use a new, automated debt-tracking system.

Read More from the Star Ledger

 

New Jersey IEC President Arthur Carver warns "Consumers must beware when hiring any Licensed Professional. Make sure they show a valid license and business permit and follow up with their respective Licensing Board to make sure they are in fact licensed and if so that their license is in good standing".

"There are ongoing problems within many Licensed Professions with individuals holding themselves out to be licensed when in fact they are not. Perhaps the best example of this problem is the majority of Solar Companies in NJ are not Licensed and are in fact operating an Electrical Contracting Business without a License or Business Permit, a 4th degree felony in NJ. These individuals some of whom get front page stories written about their installations published in local newspapers, if in fact unlicensed have committed a felony offense as soon as they handle and install even one Solar Panel", said NJECPAC Government Affairs Director Joseph Hovanec. Read More

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House Passes Legislation to Repeal the 3 Percent Withholding Tax

NJECPAC applauds the U.S. House of Representatives passage of a measure that would repeal the 3 percent withholding tax. The legislation would eliminate the 3 percent withholding tax requirement for work performed on Government Projects.

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed by the measure by a bipartisan vote of 405-16. The measure would repeal the requirement for federal, state and local governments to withhold 3 percent of payments to government contractors starting in 2013.

The measure now moves on to the Senate, where they continue to debate how to offset the $11 billion that the repeal would cost the Treasury in forgone revenue over 10 years. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have said that the withholding requirement is too onerous and that its repeal is one of the few areas of agreement between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans.

"I am pleased to see that the House had the wherewithal to finally support a measure that we have been asking them to pass for a number of years" said NJECPAC Chairman Joe Coviello.

"The legislation passed by the House proves that our persistence and time spent in Washington each year at the IEC National Legislative Conference is time well spent. When passed by the Senate the repeal of this burdensome measure will benefit every Contractor" said NJECPAC Board of Governor member Bruce Kohan.

Read More 

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Obama's Epic Iraq Failure

What has not been reported by the MSM is that Obama wanted to keep troops in Iraq beyond the end of the year. What you also did not hear is the end of the year 2011 deadline was negotiated by President George W. Bush.

The Bush deadline was dismissed and bashed by the Mainstream Media when it was announced in 2008. Now Obama is held up as some sort of a Hero complete with chills running up Chris Mathews leg, Of course there is also no mention that it is the Bush plan that he is following. 

Obama and and Democrats are always campaigning, they campaign 24/7, yet Obama's base has frayed, and Independents have abandoned him. So for the Obama Administration what better time to steal credit for getting troops out of Iraq then the present. Oh Yeah! per the original Bush timeline. 

However, the Heritage Foundation reports, Obama was in negotiations with the Iraqis up until last week to keep troops in Iraq beyond 2011. The only reason he is pulling troops out at the end of the year is in another epic failure, his administration was unable to negotiate immunity for our troops that were to stay behind to support Iraqi's in counter-terrorism, air support, intelligence gathering, logistics, and training. Read More

Obama has now personally placed the welcome Mat at Iraq's Door for Iran 

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Rep. Kline Introduces Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act

Kline Introduces Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act

House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) introduced the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act to help prevent the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from implementing sweeping changes to our workplaces.

In recent months, the NLRB has quietly advanced an activist agenda that empowers unions to manipulate the workforce for their own gain while restricting an employer’s right to communicate with their employees and crippling an employee’s ability to make a fully informed decision. The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act will force the NLRB to change course and reaffirm the protections workers and employers have received for decades.

“There is no doubt the board’s radical actions will wreak havoc on businesses, and in turn, our economy,” Chairman Kline said. “Employers will be forced to dedicate their limited resources to managing labor relations instead of expanding operations and hiring new workers. Read More.

To read the bill, here
To read a bill summary of H.R. 3094, here
To learn more about H.R. 3094, here
 

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NLRB Delays Pro Union Posting Requirement

In response to the lawsuits filed by the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), NAM, NFIB and the US Chamber of Commerce the NLRB has announced that they are delaying the effective date of their notice posting requirement from November 14, 2011 to a new effective date of January 31, 2012.   

 

This will allow the lawsuit to resolve itself prior to this requirement going into effect.

Hopefully the lawsuit will be successful, if it is not employers would be required to post the NLRB notice beginning January 31, 2012.  The NLRB poster can be viewed at: www.NLRB.gov/poster 

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