Industry News and Advocacy
House Infrastructure Committee Advances BUILD America 250 Act
Last month’s Washington Summit also featured the first House committee vote on the big surface transportation bill. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the BUILD America 250 Act by a May 21 vote of 62-2. The legislation authorizes $580 billion overall, including $474.4 billion in contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF)—a 23.7% increase over the IIJA’s $383.4 billion baseline.
The bill contains several NUCA-supported provisions to improve work zone safety for both workers and motorists. It gives states greater flexibility to use existing federal highway safety funds for measures such as advanced signage, traffic control devices, temporary barriers, enhanced worker training, and public education campaigns.
A full House vote is expected in June, though the Senate has not yet released its companion version. Both chambers are unlikely to meet the September 30 deadline, so lawmakers are expected to extend the current law at least through the end of the year to avoid disruptions to ongoing surface transportation projects.
Workforce Pell Grants Are Launching In July
Regulations have now cleared the way for last year’s Workforce Pell Grants program to go live, culminating years of advocacy by NUCA’s workforce development program. Enacted in the 2025 Working Families Tax Cuts Act (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), this expansion of Pell Grants to short-term workforce training programs becomes operative on July 1, 2026. The U.S. Dept. of Education regulations were published May 18 in the Federal Register.
Starting this summer, eligible students can use prorated Pell funding for high-quality certificate programs lasting 8–15 weeks (150–599 clock hours). These must prepare participants for in-demand, high-skill roles in construction and related trades—such as welding, carpentry, heavy equipment operation, and more—with strong completion rates, job placement outcomes, and earnings potential. While this talent pipeline will not become available for months, it is a big step towards addressing the industry’s labor shortages.
Association News
Your NUCA membership delivers business benefits that will help your bottom line. Are you or your employees taking advantage of them?
Safety & Damage Prevention Conference: Registration Now Open, Sept. 15-18
Don’t miss your chance to join the industry’s top safety professionals at the NUCA Safety & Damage Prevention Conference, September 15-18, 2026, at the iconic Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.
Immerse yourself in three powerful days of timely discussions designed to tackle the real challenges facing utility construction today. The agenda features critical sessions on transportation accidents, risk management, mental health in the workplace, the latest OSHA updates, emergency preparedness, rethinking trench safety (presented with NUCA National Partner United Rentals), a compelling panel on drugs in the industry, and a fresh 811 update.
This year’s conference shines a spotlight on the most pressing safety and damage prevention issues impacting our industry. You’ll gain actionable insights, practical strategies, and fresh ideas to strengthen safety practices and reduce incidents back at your company. Connect and recharge during two dynamic networking events, including the prestigious STAR Award presentation. Whether you’re looking to stay ahead of regulations, protect your team, or drive real improvement in damage prevention, this is the must-attend event of the year. Register today at nuca.com/safety-damage-prevention-conference/ and secure your spot in Louisville!
Access Your NUCA Member Benefits In One Place
Members now have access to a very user-friendly NUCA Member Dashboard at my.nuca.com. This webpage is where you can update your member profile, manage your NUCA committees, register for NUCA events, access your benefits, and so much more! Individual member benefits are now enhanced to include a travel suite that offers exclusive discounts on car rentals, hotels, and GE products. Plus, members can take advantage of discounts on auto, home, pet, renters, travel, and more!
Please log into your NUCA Member Dashboard by visiting my.nuca.com. For questions about logging in or your membership benefits, please contact NUCA’s Lauren Roget at lauren@nuca.com.
NUCA Benefits: The expanded NUCA Advantage member benefits program
Your NUCA membership investment can deliver benefits far in excess of its cost — but only if you ask your human resources office to explore what it offers. Start by forwarding this document to them and ask them to check out NUCA Advantage. Our online portal leads to expanded health care benefits options for your company, as well as payroll, wellness, compliance, benefits administration, 401K programs, online training, OSHA logs and a wealth of free HR benefits available only to NUCA members. Find our expanded NUCA Advantage benefits program at www.NUCAAdvantage.com.
Toolbox Talks: It’s never been easier to promote safety to your employees
Toolbox Talks are for NUCA and industry members to use and distribute to their employees to assist them in promoting safety in the workplace. Toolbox Talks reinforce company safety rules, warn of dangerous conditions and describe safe workplace procedures. While these toolbox talks are not a substitute for training, they are designed to reinforce training and remind employees of the many hazards and safe working procedures on the jobsite. Each of these Toolbox Talks can be downloaded as a PDF, and many are available in both English and Spanish languages. Go to NUCA.com/toolbox-talks and browse the wealth of safety knowledge available to NUCA members.
