Author: agcnews
After a week of high tensions and continued disagreement on a path forward for passing the bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cancelled a vote on the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that, among other things, would reauthorize federal-aid surface transportation programs for 5 years. The Congressional Progressive Caucus and House Republicans both declined to support the bill due to political disagreements over its connection to the separate, partisan reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Plan. As such, surface transportation programs, including the highway, transit, and rail construction programs, lapsed for a little over a day on October 1st before House and Senate…
Most Infrastructure Categories Post Year-to-Date Declines Compared to First Eight Months of 2020; Association Officials Call for Congress, President to Finish Work on Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Total construction spending was flat between July and August, as a decrease in nonresidential projects offset continuing gains in residential construction, according to a new analysis of federal construction spending data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Officials urged the House of Representatives to promptly approve the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed in the Senate earlier this year, noting that spending on infrastructure in the first eight months of 2021 declined from year-earlier…
On Sept. 24, the Safer Federal Workplace Task Force issued guidance on the president’s executive order calling for a broad vaccination mandate for direct federal contractors. The guidance raises many questions without clear answers, including but not limited to how the mandate will be enforced and employer liabilities stemming from the mandate; the precise (but clearly broad) applicability of the mandate to federal contractors’ employees (whether or not they are working directly on a federal project); and whether there will be provisions for testing employees who do not receive exemptions for medical or religious reasons. AGC has retained outside legal counsel—and is…
The US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division published a new resource for stakeholders in the construction contracting community: the Davis-Bacon Wage Determination Conformance Request Guide. The guide details the information and construction types contained in wage determinations and provides additional clarity regarding the limited circumstances in which contractors and contracting agencies may need to request a new class of laborer or mechanic be added to a published wage determination for a specific contract. For AGC DBRA resources, visit AGC’s Labor & HR Topical Resources library and select “Wages and Benefits” as the main category and “Davis-Bacon Act” as the subcategory. You…
Linbeck Group Wins Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Awards Grand Prize as 43 Other Companies Win Awards for Quality Construction Safety Programs Linbeck Group was honored for having the nation’s best construction safety and wellness plan in 2020 by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association, which oversees the Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Awards, an annual ranking of construction safety programs, noted that 43 other companies were also selected as winners for the quality of their safety programs. “Having a successful construction project starts with having a safe workplace for your employees. It is crucial, now more…
Lawrence-Methuen Town-Salem, Mass. and San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif. Top Lists of Metros with Year-over-Year Employment Increases; Evansville, Ind.-Ky. and New York City Experience the Worst Declines Nearly one-third of U.S. metro areas lost construction jobs between August 2020 and August 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials noted that the job losses are occurring as the fate of a bipartisan infrastructure bill that would boost demand for construction remains uncertain in the U.S. House of Representatives. “While construction activity has rebounded from pandemic lows in many metros, the recovery is fragile,”…
The US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division published a new resource for stakeholders in the construction contracting community: the Davis-Bacon Wage Determination Conformance Request Guide. The Wage and Hour Division Davis-Bacon Wage Determination Conformance Request Guide details the information and construction types contained in wage determinations and provides additional clarity regarding the limited circumstances in which contractors and contracting agencies may need to request a new class of laborer or mechanic be added to a published wage determination for a specific contract. The Guide also contains other useful resources to help construction contractors and contracting agencies comply with the…
AGC has posted the fifth edition of the Construction Inflation Alert, a document to help owners, officials, AGC chapters, and others understand what contractors are experiencing regarding materials costs, production lead times, and supply-chain bottlenecks. For more economic news and information on supply chain disruption, be sure you are subscribed to AGC’s Data Digest. Data Digest is free to AGC members and all chapter staff.
Guidance Expected as soon as September 24 On September 16, AGC reached out to the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council and other federal agencies to highlight the uniqueness of the construction industry, the many safety measures contractors have implemented throughout the pandemic, and to advocate for clear guidance on the vaccination mandate for all direct federal contractors—general contractors and subcontractors at all tiers. Please note that this mandate does not apply to federally-assisted construction contracts—like those through state departments of transportation—or grants. The Task Force is expected to issue guidance on September 24 and the FAR Council is tasked…
On September 20, OSHA announced that it is implementing an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards, developing a National Emphasis Program on heat inspections, and launching a rulemaking process to develop a workplace heat standard. The newly established enforcement initiative prioritizes heat-related interventions and inspections of work activities on days when the heat index exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. OSHA plans to issue—and AGC will respond to—a proposal for a federal heat standard to ensure heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings. AGC previously testified against legislation requiring such a standard, citing the industry’s thorough, proactive work in this area and informed…