ASA of SC 2024 Convention

Mike Oscar is the Government Relations Director of the American Subcontractors Association (ASA). In this role, he educates, advocates, and collaborates to promote public policies impacting the subcontractor construction industry. Mr. Oscar has been in government affairs for 14 years and he worked in the public sector for 12 years, most recently as senior legislative and political staff to the former U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, where he worked for nine years.  His tenure as Congressional staff has spanned both Republican and Democratic offices, giving Mr. Oscar a unique set of contacts and networks to access on behalf of ASA. 

During his ASA tenure, he, along with ASA’s Government Relations Committee (GRC), has aided in delivering signature policy wins for the subcontractor construction industry at the federal and state levels of government. Mr. Oscar has authored and advised on numerous pieces of legislation that have been signed into law by multiple presidents and governors. In recent years, Mr. Oscar played a critical advocacy role in banning the usage of reverse auctions in federal government contracts, in reforming change order procedures in federal procurement, in increasing the use of prompt payment practices, along with protecting subcontractors’ payment and performance procedures in public-private projects,  and in reducing retainage payments at the federal and state levels of government.  

Beyond his advocacy work at the legislative level, Mr. Oscar has authored numerous letters and policy positions with various federal agencies regarding safety rules on healthcare in construction, personal protective equipment, heat and injury illness prevention, and more. Additionally, he has offered comments on behalf of ASA on the latest federal agency rulings regarding overtime, prompt payment, change orders, independent contractors, joint employers, apprenticeships, and similar topics. He, along with the ASA GRC, continues to oppose intrusive and burdensome regulations particularly those that are overly costly and/or onerous. 

He, along with his wife, Shannon, lead ASA’ s Attorneys’ Council in their quest to ensure subcontractors receive fair and equal treatment under the law regarding their rights, claims, and assets. ASA’s Attorneys’ Council Members are regular presenters and contributors for webinars, podcasts, and member resources including subcontractor negotiating tips,  updating the retainage laws in 50 states, providing price escalation and force majeure contract amendments, and providing guidance before and after natural disasters. Additionally, Mr. Oscar, along with Shannon and the Attorneys’ Council, oversees the Subcontractor Legal Defense Fund, which underwrites the legal costs of filing “friend-of-the-court” briefs to inform the Court regarding the broader impact of relevant construction industry cases throughout the country. They have won dozens of these cases since 1997, vindicating subcontractor rights today and into the future. 

Mr. Oscar has been quoted or made appearances with local and national media outlets as well as numerous design and construction industry publications. Furthermore, he has been an innovative thought leader combining the use of traditional advocacy tactics with evolving technologies to advance a policy agenda. Additionally, he serves on the Boards of Directors of the Construction Industry Procurement Coalition, the Transportation Construction Coalition, the  Construction Industry Safety Coalition, and the Small Business Legislative Council, along with advising the Construction  Procurement Congressional Caucus.  

Beyond his Capitol Hill experience, Mr. Oscar held assignments with the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s  Carderock Division, the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Legal Advisor, and the  Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Currently, he serves on the Franklin Institute’s Board of Governmental Affairs and Father Judge High School’s Development Board. 

When not walking the halls of state capitals or Congress, he enjoys cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles, running,  or biking in his neighborhood, gardening, and spending time with his wife, three children, Liam, Abbie and Lillie, and his  Yorkie, Espresso.