Author: agcnews
This week, the House of Representatives and Senate passed several long-overdue pieces of legislation relieving much of the burden of Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance for applicable businesses. AGC has advocated for employer reporting reform ever since the ACA was enacted and eagerly anticipates President Biden signing the legislation into law. The two bills that passed include: Employer reporting reform (H.R. 3801/S. 3204) provides additional time (90 days) for employers to respond to a preliminary penalty assessment under the ACA. It also provides for a six-year statute of limitations on penalty assessments, which will help ease employer record keeping. The…
On December 13, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2025. The NDAA is expected to pass the Senate next week, with the President signing it into law shortly after. Like every year, AGC urged Congress to support provisions that will positively impact the construction industry and to block those that will be harmful. Among others, AGC successfully advocated for: Of note to some AGC members, Sec. 1709 of the NDAA seeks to restrict DJI Technologies and Autel Robotics from selling new drones. Unless a national agency determines within a year that these…
Construction sector employment rose by 10,000 jobs in November with moderate increases in both residential and nonresidential jobs, according to an analysis of new government data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials noted that contractors continue to hire amid some softening in demand, a sign they expect demand to rebound again in the near future. “Job gains in both homebuilding and nonresidential building construction have slowed over the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But contractors have been hanging onto workers, a sign that they expect work to pick up soon.” See the…
President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would be nominating U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) as Secretary of the Department of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer was elected to Congress in 2022 and is a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. During her career she has positioned herself as an ally of workers and labor unions, including by cosponsoring the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which has earned her nomination the backing of some prominent labor leaders ahead of her Senate confirmation next year. If confirmed to lead the Department of Labor, Chavez-DeRemer will play a crucial role in…
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is reinstating the Monthly Employment Utilization Report (CC-257). The CC-257 report requires businesses with a federal construction contract, subcontract, and/or federally assisted construction contract or subcontract in excess of $10,000 to provide information on employee work hours and employee counts by race/ethnicity, gender, and trade. AGC raised concerns over data privacy and undue burdens from the reinstatement of comprehensive monthly employment reports, which were discontinued since 1995. Each report must cover a full calendar month and is due by the 15th of the following month. If this date falls on a weekend…
On December 3, Congress released its compromised version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. The bipartisan WRDA 2024 bill will help ensure that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works Program is appropriately responsive to the water resources needs identified by local communities. Specifically, the bill authorizes 200 feasibility studies and the construction of 21 water resource projects. WRDA 2024 invests in our harbors and inland waterways, which helps to ensure construction materials make it to the jobsite in a timely manner. The water infrastructure bill permanently adjusts the inland waterways cost-share for construction and…
This week the House Steering Committee approved current House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves’ (R-Mo.) request for a waiver to retain his position leading that committee. House Republican rules only allow someone to lead a committee for three consecutive terms, which meant Congressman Sam Graves needed approval from the House Steering Committee to serve another term. AGC previously reported on this race, and others of note to the construction industry, that were being decided by the House Steering Committee. So, what is next? The House Steering Committee will now decide who should formally chair the committee, Congressman Sam…
Tariffs have been a critical tool in U.S. trade policy, affecting the construction industry in both direct and indirect ways. During Trump’s first term in office, he imposed wide ranging tariffs on a variety of imported products. The Trump administration introduced tariffs on all steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) imports, known as the Section 232 tariffs. Similarly, he imposed Section 301 tariffs, which targeted Chinese goods, covering a wide range of imports totaling approximately $370 billion. For context, Section 232 tariffs are usually imposed on the grounds of national security, targeting materials deemed critical for defense, while Section 301 tariffs…
Construction spending increased 0.4 percent from September to October as a pickup in single- and multifamily residential building outweighed declines in public outlays and mixed results for private nonresidential categories, according to an analysis of a new government report that the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association officials said construction has yet to begin on many federally funded projects amid lengthy regulatory reviews. “Despite a flurry of project announcements by the federal government, much of the money still has not been awarded in construction contracts, let alone work under way,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “At…
Construction employment rose in 238, or 66 percent, of 358 metro areas between October 2023 and October 2024, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials noted that firms continue to boost pay rates as many of them struggle to find enough qualified workers to hire. “While roughly two-thirds of metro areas have added construction workers in the past year, contractors would have hired more employees if there were enough qualified applicants,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Contractors are struggling to fill openings despite offering above-average wages.” Read…