ABC Names Congressman John Kline Legislator of the Year

WASHINGTON, June 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Associated Builders and
Contractors (ABC) today presented U.S. Congressman John Kline (R- Minn.) with
the Free Enterprise Legislator of the Year award. Each year, during its
Legislative Conference, ABC honors a member of Congress whose public service
parallels the ideals upon which ABC was founded: the principles of full and
open competition and the advancement of the free-market system.

"Congressman Kline is a great friend of the merit shop construction industry
and a strong ally in Congress," said Bill Fairchild, 2008 ABC national
chairman and president of R.W. Murray Co., Manassas, Va. "We are grateful for
his efforts on Capitol Hill and look forward to working with him on issues
that help to advance free enterprise."

A 25-year veteran of the Marine Corps, Kline was first elected to the U.S.
House of Representatives in 2002, and currently serves on the House Armed
Services Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee, where he is
Ranking member of the Health, Labor, Employment and Pensions subcommittee. In
the 110th Congress, Kline has led the fight against the "Employee Free Choice
Act" (H.R. 800), legislation that would rob workers of their right to a
private ballot election when deciding if they want union representation. More
recently, he introduced the "Green Jobs Improvement Act of 2008" (H.R. 6220),
a bill that will allow merit shop training programs access to federal funding
to train workers in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy
practices.

Nearly 600 ABC members from across the nation were in Washington, D.C., June
17-19, to attend ABC's 2008 Legislative Conference, which featured remarks by
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Karl Rove, former deputy chief of staff to
President Bush.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association
representing nearly 25,000 merit shop construction and construction-related
firms in 78 chapters across the United States. Visit us at www.abc.org

SOURCE Associated Builders and Contractors

Gail Raiman, +1-703-812-2073 or Gerry Fritz, +1-703-812-2062, both of
Associated Builders and Contractors