Author: agcnews

Texas and Maine Have Biggest Number and Percent of Annual Job Gains, Ohio and Wyoming Have Largest Annual Losses; Texas and Iowa Have Largest Monthly Gains While Nevada and West Virginia Have Largest Monthly Declines Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between December 2018 and December 2019, while construction employment increased in 29 states from November to December, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials added that most contractors expect to continue adding to their payrolls in 2020, according to the results of the…

Texas and Maine Have Biggest Number and Percent of Annual Job Gains, Ohio and Wyoming Have Largest Annual Losses; Texas and Iowa Have Largest Monthly Gains While Nevada and West Virginia Have Largest Monthly Declines Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between December 2018 and December 2019, while construction employment increased in 29 states from November to December, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials added that most contractors expect to continue adding to their payrolls in 2020, according to the results of the…

On Jan. 16, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) introduced bipartisan, AGC-backed legislation to prohibit federal agencies from using reverse auctions on federal construction contracts. On Dec. 19, the Senate unanimously passed a companion bill to this measure. Reverse auctions in federal contracts typically require contractors to bid against each other in real time with ever increasing lower prices in order to win a particular contract. Several federal agencies have advised against this practice due to the administrative burden it requires, as well as acknowledging that the guaranteed low price at time of bidding often does not mean the project will be…

Major General Scott A. Spellmon has been nominated to be the next Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). If confirmed by the Senate, Maj. Gen. Spellmon will replace the current commander, Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, whose term expires on May 19, 2020. In his current role as Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, he has been pivotal in overseeing the implementation of billions of dollars in natural disaster related construction recovery efforts. Confirmation hearings on this nomination are expected in the coming month. If confirmed, AGC looks forward to continuing to work closely with…

On Jan. 23, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized an AGC-supported rule to define “waters of the United States” – providing clarity when a federal permit is needed for work in or near federal waters. The new Navigable Waters Protection Rule better identifies federal waters, respects states’ primary role in land use and pollution prevention, and balances major case law from the last couple of decades. In brief, the rule extends federal protection to territorial seas and traditional navigable waters (TNWs); tributaries to TNWs; lakes, ponds, and impoundments of jurisdictional waters; and wetlands adjacent to…

ADMINISTRATION’S NEW WATERS RULE WILL PROTECT VITAL WATERWAYS WHILE ELIMINATING CONFUSION THAT THREATENED TO STIFLE MANY PROJECTS Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule Will Provide Permitting Clarity For Needed Infrastructure and Development Projects, Top Construction Official Notes 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 the Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule: “This new clean water rule employs sound administrative policy to protect our vital waterways while providing permitting clarity for infrastructure and development projects to proceed in a timely manner. One reason our…

AGC of America’s Business Development Forum, with support from The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), will offer free one-on-one Business Development (BD) “Check-Ups” to AGC Convention attendees to review and offer guidance on their BD and marketing related efforts. Subject matter experts from across the nation will be paired with attendees to answer questions and challenges relating to BD planning, sales, proposals, client presentations, branding, brochures, websites, social media, and more. The Free Business Development and Marketing Check-Up booths will be open Tuesday and Wednesday March 10 & 11 from 9:30-11:30 am PST. To learn more and sign up ahead…

As the year 2019 and Member Lauren McFerran’s term were both about to expire, the National Labor Relations Board (the Board or NRLB) reversed several noteworthy actions taken by the agency during the Obama Administration. In addition to its Dec. 13 issuance of a regulation curtailing the Obama Board’s controversial “quickie” or “ambush” election rule reported elsewhere, the Board issued decisions in some significant cases during the period, including the following: These decisions were welcomed news for employers, who can expect further employer-friendly rules and rulings in 2020. However, just as the Trump Board has successfully overturned Obama Board actions, employers…

Thu, 01/16/2020 – 08:45 On Jan. 16, the Senate overwhelmingly passed (89-10) H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (USMCA). Senate passage of this legislation clears the way for U.S. ratification of the newly negotiated trade pact between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Once President Trump signs the deal into law, Canada’s ratification is the final step before full implementation of the agreement. AGC has long supported this measure due to the significant economic impact trade with our North American neighbors has on the construction industry. Implementation of this new agreement will help ensure that trade impacting the construction industry supply chain remains…

Thu, 01/16/2020 – 08:45 On Jan. 15, the United States and China signed a modest ‘phase one’ trade agreement, signaling a major first step towards defusing tension in the trade war between the two nations. Under this initial agreement, the Trump administration will reduce the existing tariff rate on $120 billion worth of import goods from China, in addition to upholding its commitment to not impose further tariffs on Chinese goods. Although the agreement rolled back some of the import duties imposed on China, steep tariffs on $250 billion of goods remain. AGC applauds this initial agreement and will continue…