October Member Meeting

Join us for one of our biggest member events of the year – Legislative Night! Our lobbyist David Ducharme and Legislative Committee Chair Brett Hill will bring us the local perspective, while NUCA National Lobbyist Zack Perconti will join us for the evening to discuss national priorities. State Representative Andrew Barkis will cover IIJA’s impact on Washington State and what NUCA National is up to in Washington DC. This is a must-attend for all contractors who care about how current legislation effects our industry and your business specifically.

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Speakers Include:

Andrew Barkis, State Representative

Representative Andrew Barkis represents the 2nd Legislative District which includes a number of small towns in rural Pierce and Thurston counties. He was first appointed to the state House of Representatives in February 2016 and is currently serving his third term as a state representative.

Since 2019, Andrew has served as the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee. As one of the state’s transportation budget leaders, he is the voice for fiscal responsibility, reform, and reprioritization. His goals are to keep costs down, stop the trend of forced taxes on drivers, and complete projects within existing revenue.

Transportations budgets in Washington have always been negotiated with input from both parties and passed on a bipartisan basis. In 2022, the majority party in the legislature passed a $16.5 billion transportation revenue package, cutting out minority republicans from all discussions and negotiations. As a result, the 2022 budget passed on a straight party line for the first time in history.

Andrew will discuss the unprecedented 2022 transportation budget process, some of the major projects included in the package and some of the new and creative means by which projects will be paid for. In addition, he will provide some perspective on what he believes will be priority issues for the legislature to consider in 2023 and be available to take questions.

Brett Hill – Ahlers Cressman & Sleight PLLC

Brett Hill is the chair of the NUCA of WA Legislative Committee and is a member of the NUCA board of directors. Mr. Hill was also one of the drafters of recent successful legislation that was sponsored by NUCA in the Washington state legislature, including the venue statue for disputes with Washington counties and the bid protest statute in Washington state, and has also testified in Olympia before the legislature frequently in support of NUCA causes. Mr. Hill has also drafted and filed numerous amicus briefs in the Washington state court of appeals and supreme court in support of NUCA causes.

David Ducharme, Ducharme and Associates, Inc.

Since 1993, the primary goal of this government relations lobbying firm has been to create and maintain a healthy climate for businesses to operate in Washington State. The firm represents a diverse range of business interests before the Washington State Legislature, the executive branch and a majority of state regulatory agencies. Its reputation for earning the trust and respect of lawmakers from both major political parties has resulted in a highly successful track record of influencing both the passage and defeat of significant legislative and agency measures. David Ducharme is an attorney and has represented NUCA WA and the heavy civil construction industry in Olympia since 1995.

Zack Perconti, Wyman Associates 

Zack Perconti is NUCA National’s Vice President of Government Affairs. He is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Zack has worked on infrastructure, contracting, and labor issues since 2016, and since joining NUCA in 2019 has helped establish the organization as a strong presence on Capitol Hill. Prior to joining NUCA, he worked at the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University.

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