November 30, 2011 10:00 AM CST

MCAA instrumental in 3 percent repeal

Significant legislative victory for MCAA members

By Tim O’Toole

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 422-0 November 16, 2011 to repeal H.R. 674, the 3 percent withholding bill. President Obama signed the bill into law on November 21, 2011.

The law would have required federal, state and local governments to withhold 3 percent of payments on all government contracts.

"I am pleased the President is signing into law another pro-jobs bill the Ways and Means Committee shepherded through Congress," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich. "Like the 1099 reporting provision repeal, these are ideas that both parties and the Administration have supported and will provide job creators with more certainty, while also reducing the deficit. I commend Committee Members Wally Herger and Diane Black for the hard work they put into their respective bills."

The Mason Contractors Association of America has opposed the withholding and has worked hard to urge Congress to repeal this law. The MCAA and our members have visited many Senators and Representatives in Washington, D.C., including U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan. (photoed above with MCAA members John Smith and Mike Sutter, and MCAA Executive Director Jeff Buczkiewicz) to educate them on the harm the 3 percent withholding bill would cause our industry and to rally support for its repeal.

The MCAA would like to thank all of the members who called, wrote, and visited their Senators and Representatives to help make this significant legislative victory possible.

Many legislative challenges still remain in the months ahead. The MCAA vows to stay on top of these issues and represent the interests of mason contractors in Washington, D.C.

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About the Author

Tim O’Toole is the Director of Marketing, Education, and Information Technology for the MCAA. He has a Masters in Business Administration from Webster University and has worked in the masonry industry since 2003.