Letters to the Hill Banner

THE VOICE OF THE MERIT SHOP

ABC is the voice of the merit shop on Capitol Hill! Sending letters to Congress allows ABC to publicly advocate for the views and interests of our more than 23,000 members. By corresponding with U.S. House of Representatives and Senate members, ABC promotes fair and open competition in the construction industry and fights to protect merit shop contractors around the country.

ABC-supported Small Business Bills Pass House Ahead of Loeffler Testimony

On June 4, the U.S. House Committee on Small Business held a hearing titled, “Budgeting for Growth: Testimony from SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler.” Ahead of the hearing, ABC sent a letter to the committee stressing the need for deregulation. Specifically, ABC expressed its support for the Prove It Act (H.R. 1163) and denounced former President Biden’s executive order and subsequent final rule mandating controversial project labor agreements on federal construction projects of $35 million or more. The letter added that the Biden final rule unfairly limits opportunities for small firms that may be unable or unwilling to operate under the terms of a PLA.  

On June 3, the U.S. House passed two ABC-supported small business bills that will satisfy educational needs and offer clarity to help strengthen small businesses across the country. The Connecting Small Businesses with Career and Technical Education Graduates Act of 2025 (H.R. 1642) requires Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers to provide information to small businesses about hiring career and technical education graduates, providing critical education to small businesses so they can hire the next generation of skilled workers. The bill passed the House overwhelmingly in 396-5 vote.

The Plain Language in Contracting Act (H.R. 787) aims to ensure that federal contracting opportunities are written in plain language, making it easier for small businesses to secure government contracts, putting Main Street on a level playing field with large businesses so they can more fairly compete to win work.