Author: agcnews
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recently issued a Field Assistance Bulletin addressing paid sick or expanded family and medical leave eligibility under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Specifically, Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-4 provides guidance on when an employee qualifies to take paid leave under the FFCRA to care for his or her child based on the closure of a summer camp, summer enrichment program or other summer program for coronavirus-related reasons. Field Assistance Bulletins provide Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigators and staff with guidance on enforcement positions and clarification of policies or changes in policy of…
A team of Construction Leadership Council volunteers participated in the latest CLC Community Service event at Harvesters’ regional food bank in Kansas City. During their 4 to 6 p.m. shift on February 27, they processed 520 boxes of food for elderly citizens in need. A shout-out to Emilia Rivera, CLC Community Service Chair and Director of Culture and Training, E&K of Kansas City, Inc., for organizing the event.
Our country is in desperate need of significant infrastructure investments. Tell Congress and President Trump to advance the $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill! The Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2) provides resources to build roads and bridges, public transit, airports, schools, hospitals, affordable housing, water infrastructure, locks, dams, levees and more. With 1,187,000 construction workers unemployed, and an increasing number of construction firms reporting cancelled or delayed projects, our elected leaders must act now to protect existing — and create new — construction jobs! In this episode, AGC’s VP of Gov’t Relations Jimmy Christianson lays out how the proposed House infrastructure package…
The COVID-19 crisis portends a new and troubling outlook for union construction contractors participating in multiemployer pension plans. While many multiemployer pension plans had been recovering enough from the 2007–2009 Great Recession to have their current funding levels approach or exceed their pre-Great Recession funding levels, the COVID-19 crisis threatens those recoveries and the solvency of the most financially troubled plans. While AGC of America continues to actively advocate for legislative reforms to help, proactive employers participating in multiemployer plans should anticipate how plans’ potential financial downturn will affect their finances and the retirement benefits of their unionized employees and…
The Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) is in effect as of June 22, 2020. AGC has advocated every step of the way in this multi-year effort and supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ new rule. The rule appropriately distinguishes between federal and state waters and should bring greater clarity in the field. AGC provided a summary of the rule when the agencies finalized it in January of this year. The rule already has several legal challenges in the queue and is on hold in one state. As per a ruling on June 19, 2020, a district…
Two recent immigration policy changes highlight the need for Congress to enact permanent immigration reform. First, on June 18, the Supreme Court ruled that recipients under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) can continue to legally work in the country. The decision was the result of recent Trump Administration actions that attempted to roll back the 2012 DACA program. While the decision allows an estimated 80,000 DACA recipients working in the construction industry to continue to do so, the decision presents an opportunity for the Trump administration to continue pursuing an end to the program. It remains important for Congress to…
The Senate Armed Services Committee released its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021 (NDAA). The defense bill authorizes $8.15 billion for military construction, $955 million provides for previously unfunded military construction requirements, and focuses on the facility sustainment backlog. The Senate NDAA also prohibits Department of Defense (DOD) from conducting additional base realignments and closures in fiscal year 2021. Some notable provisions in the FY2021 NDAA that are important to AGC members include: AGC will continue to monitor and advocate policy reforms in the NDAA as it works its way through the Senate and House of Representatives. For…
After testifying before the Senate Small Business Committee that information about Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans would remain “confidential,” Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin announced on Friday, June 19, that loan information for recipients of PPP loans in excess of $150,000 would be publicly disclosed. To address concerns from businesses about disclosing payroll data, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury said loan information—including business names, addresses, NAICS codes, zip codes, business types, demographic data, non-profit information, and jobs supported—would be released in a range, rather than specific loan amounts. The ranges are: $150,000 – $350,000 $350,000 – $1 million…
On July 23, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the AGC-backed Great American Outdoors Act, which especially helps address the needs of National Parks Service infrastructure and facilities. The bill would establish the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Fund, which would direct $9.5 billion in non-taxpayer monies over five years to address priority repairs in national parks and on other public lands controlled and operated by the Department of the Interior and its agencies. A minimum of 65 percent of the fund would be dedicated to non-transportation projects, such as building construction. The remaining parts of the fund would…
The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the release today of a proposed House measure, known as The Moving Forward Act, that seeks to invest $1.5 trillion in infrastructure: “House leaders understand that one of the best ways to promote new economic growth is by investing in the nation’s aging, and often over-burdened, infrastructure. These investments will create needed new construction careers, promote demand for new construction equipment and materials, and ensure that the economy will be more efficient and effective for years to come. The…