IN THIS ISSUE

Cast Your Vote…Your Voice Counts!

We are now entering the final few months of what has been a very trying year, to say the least. I hope all of our members are busy working in an effort to complete their projects before winter is upon us. While everyone is rightfully focused on completing their jobs, I encourage our members to take the time to cast your vote this election season.

While it is unfortunate that we have not been able to meet with our members face-to-face over the past six months, UCANE remains as busy as ever with our advocacy efforts, which is more vital than ever during the pandemic. At the state and federal level, there certainly is no shortage of issues and proposals that could affect our industry and businesses.

The State Legislature extended the end of their session, and we continue to work closely alongside our great lobbyist, Mark Molloy from Cascade Strategies, LLC. We are currently fighting against some overly burdensome bills that are in response to the COVID-19 crisis. While well-intentioned, they would unfairly hurt businesses as the economy tries to recover. We also continue to fight other onerous legislation dealing with issues such as Dig Safe and wage theft. In addition, the Legislature has yet to finalize a budget for the 2021 fiscal year, and we are strongly supporting adequate funding for our drinking water, wastewater, and underground utility infrastructure.

This holds true at the federal level as well, where we continue to work with our national group, the Clean Water Construction Coalition (CWCC), to push for a stimulus bill that would include significant investment in our underground infrastructure. Investing in the Commonwealth’s drinking water, wastewater, and underground infrastructure system is key to our ability to protect public health while enabling the foundation for future economic growth. Now is not the time to exacerbate what is already a $20 billion funding gap over the next 20 years.

UCANE will continue to meet with our elected officials (virtually, for now) to advocate for these important issues. But what every member can and must do is to make their voice heard. Everyone knows that there is a Presidential Election on November 3, but there are also several other races on the ballot that will have a great impact on our work going forward. Every member of the State Legislature is on the ballot, as is every U.S. Representative. There is also a campaign for U.S. Senator. No matter what office you are voting for, make sure you do your due diligence and see where the candidates stand on the issues you care about, including drinking water, wastewater, and underground utility infrastructure, as well as the construction industry as a whole. In addition to casting your vote on election day, November 3, there are other options such as early voting, absentee, and mail-in ballots.

So as we all try to balance our work and family responsibilities during this hectic and trying year, be sure to take the time to vote and make informed decisions when you head to the ballot box.

Thank you for your ongoing support

of UCANE! n

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