Why It Matters
The National Electrical Contractors Association Inc. (NECA) lists lobbying on the Davis-Bacon Act in its 2026 third-quarter report, and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced S.4477, the Davis-Bacon Repeal Act, in April 2026 to repeal the Davis-Bacon wage requirements. The filing covers 11 issue areas.
By the Numbers
NECA's in-house third-quarter 2026 report discloses $600,000 in lobbying. That is up $250,000 from the $350,000 the same registrant reported in the third quarter of 2025. McCarthy Advanced Consulting LLC filed a termination for the National Electrical Contractors Association Inc. in the third quarter of 2026, reporting $30,000.
The in-house filing lists three lobbyists:
- Marco Giamberardino, chief communications officer; no prior congressional staff service on record.
- James Payne, government affairs director; prior service in the office of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5).
- Ryan McGuire, director of government affairs; prior service in the office of Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).
Broader Context
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced S. 4477, the Davis-Bacon Repeal Act, in April 2026, calling the law "antiquated." NECA chief executive officer David Long has said prevailing-wage requirements prevent wage undercutting and support apprenticeship costs. The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) opposed the Labor Department's 2023 Davis-Bacon final rule and said it planned to challenge it in court. Advancing American Freedom's Rachel Greszler called for repealing Davis-Bacon in September 2026, citing a Beacon Hill Institute estimate that the law's wage calculations inflate federally funded construction costs by 9.9%, and said repeal could save taxpayers about $21.5 billion annually.
In an Oct. 26 press release, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA-4) included a NECA statement crediting the Working Families Tax Cut with making the Section 199A small business deduction permanent.
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report dated Sept. 2 noted that Congress extended Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) surface-transportation authorizations through Dec. 11 under H.R. 6500.
On Oct. 1, Sens. Angus King (I-ME), John Curtis (R-UT), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced bipartisan legislation to streamline domestic-materials verification under the Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA); NECA is listed among the bill's national supporters in both King's and Murkowski's announcements.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA-3) reintroduced H.R. 7996, the Linemen Legacy Act, in March; Giamberardino is quoted in the press release endorsing the bill, which would add utility line technicians to the Department of Homeland Security's definition of "emergency response providers."
The Bottom Line
The most time-sensitive item is the Dec. 11 expiration of IIJA surface-transportation authorizations; without congressional action, highway funding authority lapses and the BUILD America 250 Act becomes the vehicle for longer-term reauthorization. The clearest operational change is the in-house spending increase that took hold at the start of 2026, while McCarthy Advanced Consulting LLC has now exited with a termination filing.
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