BFA urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Building Civic Bridges Act

Today, Business for America sent a sign-on letter to all 535 congressional offices in support of the bipartisan Building Civic Bridges Act (BCBA) H.R.7698. The legislation is a critical step to address the deep divisions within our communities by supporting civic and faith-based organizations across the country to counter increased division by fostering dialogue and connections between Americans.

There is still time for the BCBA to be acted upon during the final days of the 118th congressional session. We encourage Representative Virginia Foxx, chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, to hold a hearing so that this urgently needed legislation can move to the floor for a vote. If Congress does not act this year, we encourage both parties to work together to reintroduce and pass the bill in 2025.

“When we surveyed business leaders, 69% reported negative impacts from political and social divides on their employees and company culture,” said Sarah Bonk, founder and CEO of Business for America. “The same divisions we see on TV and social media also show up at the water cooler, hurting the bottom line. Businesses are looking for solutions.”

Additional research demonstrates how division has a real business cost:

• Businesses lose over $2 billion a day due to the reduced productivity and absenteeism caused by incivility in the workplace. (SHRM 2024)
• U.S. workers collectively experience 171 million acts of incivility per day, leading to emotional exhaustion, poor performance, and attrition. (SHRM 2024)
• U.S. business leaders ranked escalating political polarization as their second most important emerging risk worry after generative artificial intelligence. (Gartner 2024)

While overcoming polarization will not be easy, 79% of surveyed Americans say, given the opportunity, they would help to reduce social division in our country. The BCBA will provide the opportunities for Americans to connect across divides. We applaud the efforts of Representatives Derek Kilmer and Andy Barr and Senators Chris Coons and Todd Young to forge bipartisan support for the bill and urge every member of Congress to support passage of the BCBA.