I can’t believe we’ve been holding our Young Executive Committee/Young Legislator Breakfast for five years! As always, we had a great turnout for this end of March annual event. With YEC members representing the breadth of Delaware’s construction industry, the conversation was diverse.

At these meetings, our YEC members have the opportunity to introduce themselves, their company’s and the role they play in Delaware’s construction economy. They share their positions on specific public policy matters as well as their insights regarding the state of Delaware more broadly. The many legislators who attend introduce themselves, their priorities, and major initiatives along with observations regarding governance in Delaware.

DCA is always appreciative of our members who support the industry’s young leaders by encouraging and supporting their participation in the YEC. This isn’t just a committee for hanging out and having fun, although fun is a good part of it, but rather an important aspect of DCA’s government relations work.

The YEC members who have participated in this meeting over the past five years have gotten to know many of the General Assembly’s recently elected young members. Both Senate Majority Leader, Brian Townsend, and House Majority Leader, Melissa Minor-Brown, were regular participants long before they held their current leadership positions. This year, we were pleased to welcome Majority Whip Kerri Evelyn Harris to our meeting and appreciate her driving up from Dover for an early morning meeting.

In addition to Representative Harris, I would also like to acknowledge and thank the legislators below for their continued participation in this great annual event:

Senator Kyle Evans Gay

Representative Larry Lambert

Representative Sean Matthews

Representative Mike Smith

Representative Jeff Speigelman

Every year there seems to be a hot topic. Recent years have included discussion regarding the legalization of recreational cannabis and the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. This year we had the chance to share DCA’s significant concerns regarding SB 255 which drives liability for subcontractor violations of both the Contractor Registry Act and the Wage Fraud Act up to a project’s prime general contractor. Finding new environments and creating opportunities to have these discussions is critical to our success.