Author: agcnews

On June 1, President Biden called for an “all-of-government effort to expand contracting opportunities for underserved small businesses across the country.” Among other initiatives, the goal is to increase the share of contracts going to small, disadvantaged businesses (SDB) by 50 percent by 2026, which the administration calculates as an additional $100 billion to SDBs over the five-year period. SDBs include 8(a) participants and other small businesses that are at least 51% owned and controlled by socially or economically disadvantaged individuals or groups. The Administration is silent about the other small business subcategories such as Women-Owned Small Businesses, HUBZone Small Businesses, and…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted updated and expanded technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing questions arising under the federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws. The EEOC also posted a new resource for job applicants and employees, explaining how federal employment discrimination laws protect workers during the pandemic. These publications are provided to help employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities at work during the pandemic. The expanded technical assistance provides new information about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) apply when an employer offers incentives for employees to provide documentation…

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and Odessa, Texas Have Worst 14-Month Construction Job Losses; Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind. and Sierra Vista-Douglas, Ariz. Lead List of 217 Metros with Job Gains Construction employment decreased from February 2020 – the last month prior to the pandemic – to April 2021 in 107, or 30 percent, of the nation’s metro areas, and was stagnant in another 34, according to an analysis by AGC of government employment data released today. Association officials said that construction employment in many parts of the country was being undermined by pandemic-induced project delays, materials price spikes and shortages, and difficulties finding labor. “It is…

Construction Officials Say New Infrastructure Funding, Tariff Relief and Measures to Reduce Manufacturing and Delivery Delays for Key Materials Needed to Jump Start Nonresidential Activity Nonresidential construction spending in April declined for the fifth-straight month to a two-year low as demand waned for numerous public and private project categories in the face of lengthening production and delivery times for materials, along with fast-rising prices for many items, according to an analysis of new federal construction spending data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Officials with the association urged the President and Congress to boost infrastructure investments, remove tariffs on…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has posted updated and expanded technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing questions arising under the federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws. The EEOC also posted a new resource for job applicants and employees, explaining how federal employment discrimination laws protect workers during the pandemic. These publications are provided to help employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities at work during the pandemic. The expanded technical assistance provides new information about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) apply when an employer offers incentives for employees to provide…

Expands Renewable Energy & EV Tax Credits; Attaches Labor Requirements On May 26 and in spite of AGC’s concerns, the Senate Finance Committee passed the Clean Energy for America Act, which would consolidate and expand numerous tax incentives for the construction of energy efficient infrastructure and the production of renewable energy. The legislation would also create and greatly expand tax incentives for electric vehicles (EVs)—which do not pay into the federal Highway Trust Fund for their use of roads, bridges, and highways. In addition, the bill does not contemplate a path forward for ensuring EVs contribute to the HTF. The bill also—for…

Other Senate Committees Must Act on Transit, Rail Programs On May 26, the Senate Environment and Works (EPW) Committee unanimously passed the AGC-backed Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021. The bill would provide historic level of investment—$311 billion over five years—for roads, bridges and highways. The legislation also includes important streamlining provisions that will cut down on administrative duplication in the environmental permitting and review process, maintains state flexibility in policy decisions on addressing highway congestion, and more. The Senate Banking and Commerce committees must now put forth proposals on transit and rail policy and funding, as those fall under their…

In April, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued updated COVID-19 FAQs related to contractor vaccine policies. The FAQs established that when vaccination is mandated by employers, adverse reactions related to employees receiving the vaccine are a recordable injury/illness, and, in some cases, may be recordable even when contractors only recommend, or encourage, employees receive the vaccine (for background, click here). On May 12, AGC put forth its concerns to OSHA. On May 21, OSHA issued a single FAQ stating that “DOL and OSHA, as well as other federal agencies, are working diligently to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. OSHA does not wish to…

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) has decided to maintain its longstanding contract-bar doctrine, despite AGC-supported signals by the Board that changes would be coming. The contract-bar doctrine generally precludes a union representation or decertification election during the term of a legitimate 9(a) collective bargaining agreement for up to a three-year term. During this “contract bar” period, the Board will dismiss representation petitions unless filed during the 30-day period that begins 90 days and ends 60 days before the agreement expires. Last year, the Board invited interested parties to submit amicus briefs in the Mountaire Farms case to provide input…