Welding Certifications on Public Works Projects

Public safety and workforce development—two crucial aspects of Indiana’s top-ranked infrastructure network—almost always dominate legislative conversations and debate by legislators, industry stakeholders and other statewide leaders during legislative sessions. As experts and advocates for safe and skilled construction, the Indiana Ironworkers Political Action Committee (PAC), which collectively represents more than 6,000 ironworkers across the state, asked RJL Solutions for assistance in engaging in these conversations, ultimately wishing to pursue updates to Indiana’s public works regulations. Specifically, the Indiana Ironworkers PAC sought legislation requiring that steel welds on public works projects be performed only by American Welding Society (AWS) certified welders. The AWS is a rigorous and highly skilled training program, often known as the industry’s “gold standard.”  

Along with the Indiana Ironworkers PAC, RJL Solutions’ Government Relations Team embarked on a year-long educational campaign across the state, utilizing site visits and roundtable discussions at each Ironworkers local union to make the case for the proposal. Meeting legislators in the communities they live in with the ironworkers they know, RJL Solutions facilitated conversations to educate and advocate for the PAC’s proposal. In many cases, this included identifying and understanding legislators’ individual priorities and then showcasing how this proposal aligned. Through this process, champions of the proposal were identified, and legislation was drafted for introduction in the 2023 General Assembly Session. 

RJLSolutions worked with a team of dedicated legislators, the Ironworkers and other industry partners throughout the 2023 Session to successfully shepherd House Bill 1211 through the legislative process with widespread and bipartisan support. Its provisions went into effect on July 1, 2023.

The legislation in its entirety can be found here.

‍