Author: agcnews

Supports AASHTO Request for Additional Highway & Bridge Investment On April 21, AGC, along with 78 other organizations, urged Congress to oppose one-size -fits-all mandates on state and local communities limiting their ability to construct new highway capacity—a policy that was included in the $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill passed by House Democrats last July. Such policy would adversely affect transportation construction contractors and could stymie efforts to better connect communities to jobs, healthcare facilities, and schools, or to better link businesses in communities to markets. AGC also called for support of the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) request to drive down the…

Sen. Schumer Promises PRO Act Vote with 50 Senators Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Angus King (I-Maine) recently pledged their support for passing the PRO Act—the greatest threat to open-shop and union construction in decades—joining 44 Democrats and one Independent (Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.)) who already committed to support the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently told AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka that the PRO Act would receive a vote in the U.S. Senate if 50 senators pledge to support it. Only three Democratic senators—Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.) and Mark Warner (Va.)—are needed to reach 50. Special interest groups are insisting Senate…

The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department announced on April 21 further details of tax credits available under the American Rescue Plan to help small businesses, including providing paid leave for employees receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. Eligible employers, such as businesses and tax-exempt organizations with fewer than 500 employees and certain governmental employers, can receive a tax credit for providing paid time off for each employee receiving the vaccine and for any time needed to recover from the vaccine. For example, if an eligible employer offers employees a paid day off in order to get vaccinated, the employer can receive a tax…

AGC Learns More About Loan Forgiveness for PPP Loans Over $2 Million AGC remains in negotiations with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) about the potential for a settlement of its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lawsuit. The target of that lawsuit is the “Loan Necessity Questionnaire” that has delayed action on many PPP loan forgiveness applications for loans over $2 million. The talks have produced both good and bad news. The good news is that SBA has yet to deny any of the approximately 460 applications that AGC members have filed for forgiveness of loans over $2 million. The bad news…

Texas and Wyoming Have Worst Job Losses in the Past Year, While Utah and Idaho Top Gainers; Texas and Iowa Rebound the Most from February’s Storms, as Nevada Posts Biggest Monthly Loss Construction employment in March remained below March 2020 levels in 35 states despite a sizzling homebuilding market and a strong recovery from severe winter weather, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials cautioned, however, that a host of challenges, including continued project cancellations, rising materials prices, and supply chain uncertainties are making business conditions for contractors difficult. “Nonresidential contractors…

Calling it a “Vital Safety Issue,” Associated General Contractors of America, Other Groups, are Partnering with the CDC to Spend Week of April 19th Urging Construction Workers to Get Vaccinated When They Can The Associated General Contractors of America and other groups are partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to spend the week of April 19th urging construction workers to get their COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are able. As part of the campaign, the association will distribute educational materials about the vaccine, as well as a new industry public service announcement urging construction workers to get their shots. “Construction workers…

AGC filed comments opposing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) recent proposals to withdrawal the Independent Contractor status and rescind the Joint Employer definition under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). AGC supports the Trump administration’s previous revisions to both rules, opposes these recent DOL actions and fully expects the opportunity to provide public input on any future revision or adoption of guidance regarding either rule. AGC has long called for federal clarification of the independent contractor status and preservation of legitimate independent contractor relationships, such as those that have historically existed in the construction industry. Likewise,…

On April 15, AGC participated in a small roundtable with the White House’s National Economic Council centered on President Biden’s Executive Order on Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers. The executive order directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council to consider proposing amendments to the FAR to promote enforcement of the Buy American Act of 1933. The White House staff briefed AGC on the direction of proposed rulemaking and AGC gave feedback to better inform the FAR Council’s as to the impact domestic product preference policies have on those building the nation’s infrastructure. …

On April 15, AGC, along with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and other industry stakeholders, called on Congress to authorize $200 billion in highway and bridge stimulus or “down payment” funding in any infrastructure package, available to be obligated through 2026 at 100 percent federal share. The request also asks that Congress provide $487 billion for the Federal-aid Highway Program as part of the upcoming five-year surface transportation reauthorization due by October 1. According to a recent USDOT report, the current investment backlog for highways and bridges stands at $756 billion. This funding request would finally address this…

On April 13, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) published a notice about an annual $1 billion transportation infrastructure grant program, formerly known as the BUILD and TIGER grant programs, and renamed the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. Projects submitted for RAISE funding will be evaluated based on criteria that include safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness, state of good repair, innovation, and partnership. The USDOT will also newly prioritize projects that demonstrate improvements to racial equity, reduce impacts of climate change, and create good-paying jobs, similar to new criteria recently set out for the INFRA grant…