Recapping the 2026 Spring Meeting & Legislative Conference

Earlier this month, NLBMDA welcomed more than 60 attendees to Washington D.C. for the 2026 Spring Meeting & Legislative Conference. Hosted this year at NLBMDA’s HQ in Washington D.C., the two-day event provided attendees with a jam-packed legislative conference featuring speakers from Capitol Hill and throughout D.C. followed by a day of advocacy on Capitol Hill where attendees visited more than 100 hundred offices across 12 states to advocate for the LBM industry. 

March 17 – NLBMDA’s Legislative Conference

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NLBMDA’s two-day legislative conference began with an afternoon of sessions designed to equip attendees with insights into the key issues they would be advocating for the following day on Capitol Hill. The program opened with a session on the Credit Card Competition Act, where attendees heard directly from the congressional staff actively working to advance the legislation. e session delivered a substantive, inside look at the bill’s political strategy, ongoing coalition-building efforts, and what bipartisan momentum could look like in the months ahead.

Attendees also heard from Ken Wingert, Chief Advocacy Officer at the National Association of Home Builders, who provided an overview of shared priorities and highlighted opportunities for the lumber and building material industry and home builders to align and amplify their advocacy efforts, including on housing and workforce development. The program also featured remarks from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, which outlined the 2026 regulatory landscape, including recent deregulatory actions and key rulemakings expected to impact the industry.



A session on the ROAD to Housing Act, Congress’s most substantial housing package in years, continued the conference’s focus on connecting attendees directly with the policymaker’s shaping legislation in Washington. Held just one week after the Senate’s passage of the bill, the discussion offered timely insight into its development and next steps. Congressional staff from the Senate Banking Committee walked attendees through the legislation firsthand, including its origins, the challenges it seeks to address, and the path forward as it moves through the House.



Building on these discussions, Eric Schmitz, Coalitions Director for Speaker Mike Johnson, spoke with the group, offering his perspective on the road ahead for this Congress and recapping the effort to secure several growth-oriented tax provisions that NLBMDA helped advance with member advocacy during NLBMDA’s 2025 legislative conference. The afternoon concluded with an advocacy training that translated the day’s discussions into action, equipping attendees with the talking points and context needed for their Capitol Hill meetings the following day.

Representatives Juan Ciscomani (right) and Marie Glusenkamp Perez (left) speak at the Washington Briefing Breakfast.

March 18 – NLBMDA’s Hill Advocacy

At NLBMDA’s Washington Briefing Breakfast, members gathered at our rooftop venue to receive briefing materials and hear from speakers ahead of a day of advocacy.

Mike Kingsella, CEO of Up for Growth, a national, cross-sector housing nonprofit that advances data-driven, pro-supply policies to address the country’s housing shortage, opened the program with a timely breakdown of recent legislative activity surrounding the emerging housing package.

After, NLBMDA attendees heard from two members of Congress, Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), lead sponsors of the CONSTRUCTS Act, a workforce development bill focused on the construction trades that members would advocate for in their meetings later that day. Both members underscored the importance of advancing federal solutions to strengthen the skilled trades and build a durable talent pipeline for the next generation of workers. They also emphasized the role of bipartisan collaboration in moving meaningful workforce policies forward and delivering results.

Throughout the day, across House and Senate office buildings, NLBMDA members met with legislators and their staff to advocate for the industry, bringing firsthand, local perspectives and clearly connecting each policy issue to its real-world impact on their businesses and communities. NLBMDA’s Dealers to D.C. program also introduced a number of first-time attendees to the advocacy process, strengthening the industry’s voice on Capitol Hill and expanding engagement with policymakers.

Together, the conference and fly-in reinforced the value of coordinated, industry-led advocacy at a critical moment for federal policymaking. By pairing timely policy insights with direct engagement on Capitol Hill, NLBMDA members ensured that the voice of the LBM industry was clearly heard on issues ranging from housing supply and workforce development to swipe fee reform. NLBMDA thanks all attendees for their strong participation and continued commitment to advancing policies that support dealers, strengthen supply chains, and promote sustainable growth across the industry.

The PLM (left) and WBMA (right) delegations meet their Members of Congress, Representative Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), respectively.

Looking to remain engaged throughout the year?

Whether you were unable to attend this year’s Legislative Conference or are looking to stay involved as key votes on LBM priority issues move forward, NLBMDA remains actively engaged in Washington, D.C., advocating on behalf of the industry. Members can continue to participate through virtual meetings, outreach during congressional recess periods in Members’ home districts, and ongoing advocacy opportunities coordinated by NLBMDA.



NLBMDA also offers a range of resources to help any dealer become an effective, “anytime” advocate, making it easy to engage with policymakers and share your story. If you’re interested in staying more closely involved, including participating in NLBMDA’s Government Affairs Committee calls, please reach out to Matthew Delaney at mdelaney@dealer.org to get connected.