Why It Matters
The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers reported $120,000 in lobbying activity for the first quarter of 2026, filing its latest lobbying disclosure on May 4. The federal lobbying disclosure lists no specific issues or legislation, a departure from prior quarters when the union was explicit about its legislative priorities.
The union represents skilled construction workers across the country. Its recent lobbying history shows consistent engagement on issues ranging from energy efficiency and housing to immigration and workforce development. The blank issues field in this quarter's lobbyist registration filing makes it unclear whether those priorities have shifted or simply weren't captured in this disclosure.
By the Numbers
The first quarter 2026 disclosure reports $120,000 in lobbying expenditures. That figure is consistent with every prior quarter on record. The union has reported exactly $120,000 per quarter dating back to the first quarter of 2024, totaling $1,080,000 across nine consecutive filings.
The union lobbies entirely in-house. There is no outside firm involved. The two lobbyists on record are Brian Kennedy and Jean Itz, both of whom have appeared on every BAC disclosure since the first quarter of 2024. Kennedy has been listed on all nine filings. Itz appears on eight, with no disclosure for the First Quarter of 2025 listing her name.
Kennedy has a congressional staff record. He served as General Counsel to the House Education and the Workforce Committee, with service spanning the 109th through 114th Congresses. No congressional staff record was found for Itz.
The Agenda
The first-quarter 2026 disclosure contains no specific issues text, no issue codes, and no legislation. That stands in contrast to the prior three quarters, each of which included detailed legislative priorities.
The fourth-quarter 2025 filing listed opposition to H.R. 3548, the Infrastructure Expansion Act of 2025, along with support for the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 (S. 2651), the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 1589), and a call for congressional investment in aging school facilities.
The third-quarter 2025 filing covered the same housing and school infrastructure issues, without the opposition to H.R. 3548.
The second-quarter 2025 filing addressed the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act (H.R. 1355 and S. 1342), the SECURE Act (S. 2106), Job Corps funding, and preserving energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act in the context of the reconciliation bill.
Because the first-quarter 2026 disclosure lists no issues, it is not possible to confirm what the union's lobbyists were specifically working on during this period.
Broader Context
Despite the blank disclosure, congressional lobbying records and member communications from the past year point to an active legislative environment for construction unions.
Several members of Congress engaged directly with BAC during the lookback period. Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1) addressed the BAC National Convention in September 2025, expressing support for the PRO Act and union labor standards. Rep. Haley M. Stevens (D-MI-11) also spoke at the convention, citing her work on the Butch Lewis Act and union infrastructure jobs.
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI-2) introduced legislation targeting wage theft in the construction industry in August 2025, with BAC listed as an explicit endorser. The press release noted that wage theft is particularly prevalent in construction, where contractors can underbid by 20 to 30 percent by avoiding legally required wages and benefits.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-3) met with the Arizona Building Trades Council in April 2026, citing prevailing wages and Project Labor Agreements as priorities. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-2) highlighted a wage theft settlement in Minnesota construction the same month, calling it a victory for organized labor.
Job Corps has been a recurring issue in BAC's prior disclosures. The union has stated opposition to any effort to defund or dismantle the program. BAC local union websites reference the national union's support for Job Corps and concern about Department of Labor actions affecting it.
The reconciliation process in Congress also looms over the union's prior stated priorities. BAC's second-quarter 2025 filing specifically mentioned preserving energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act as they relate to the reconciliation bill, a debate that has continued into 2026.
The Bottom Line
The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers' first-quarter 2026 lobbying disclosure filing shows a union maintaining a steady lobbying presence at $120,000 per quarter, with the same two in-house lobbyists it has used for two years. What it doesn't show is what they were lobbying on. The absence of any specific issues or legislation in this quarter's congressional influence disclosure is a notable gap compared to prior filings. The broader legislative environment, including debates over Job Corps, prevailing wages, energy tax credits, and housing, suggests the union has no shortage of issues to engage on. Whether those were the focus of this quarter's activity isn't reflected in the record.
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