Author: clara.kinney@agc.org
In Part 6 of our Road to Reauthorization series, we focused on technology and innovation. Another key component of the next surface transportation bill is ensuring strong and reliable support for public transit systems. Public transit plays a critical role in the nation’s transportation network, particularly in urban and regional areas where it supports mobility, economic growth, and connectivity. As demand continues to grow, federal policy will need to ensure transit systems can expand and modernize to meet future needs. AGC’s Surface Transportation Priorities focus on that growth and expansion with a central part of that effort being the Federal…
The Associated General Contractors of America joined a diverse coalition of employer organizations in a comment letter raising concerns with recent efforts to expand “worker walkaround” rights during workplace safety inspections. The most recent comments addressed a February 2026 proposal from California’s workplace safety agency (Cal/OSHA), which would further broaden who may participate in inspections and give regulators wider discretion over inspection procedures. The California effort follows a 2024 update by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), allowing employees to designate third-party representatives—such as union officials or outside advocates—to accompany inspectors when deemed reasonably necessary. AGC and others argue…
AGC joined the Jobs and Careers Coalition (JCC) in submitting comments to the Department of Education supporting the expansion of Pell Grants to short-term, career-focused training programs, highlighting this as a major step toward strengthening the workforce pipeline and aligning education with industry needs. After more than a decade of advocacy, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) expanded federal Pell Grant eligibility to short-term workforce programs for the first time, opening access to the nation’s largest student aid program to the construction industry. The coalition’s letter raised concerns with two aspects of the proposed rule. First, a 25 percent…
Efforts to reduce reliance on foreign rare earth supply chains are beginning to translate into new projects. While development will take time, building domestic processing and manufacturing capacity is likely to drive increased demand for industrial construction, particularly in specialized facilities, energy infrastructure, and logistics networks. Rare earth elements are a group of 17 minerals, including neodymium, dysprosium, and terbium, that make modern technologies smaller, more powerful, and more efficient by enabling the strong magnets and specialized components used in applications such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, data centers, and advanced defense systems, making them critical to both economic growth…
Don’t miss your opportunity to attend the 2026 AGC Federal Contractors Conference, taking place June 8–10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Register by April 9 to take advantage of the early promotional rate. The Federal Contractors Conference is the premier gathering for federal construction contractors to engage with agency leaders and industry experts on the projects, policies, and contracting issues shaping the federal marketplace. This year’s conference will continue to feature substantive discussions and presentations with key federal agencies procuring construction work. Attendees will gain valuable insight into near- and long-term federal construction opportunities directly from agency decision-makers. In addition to agency perspectives,…
Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) have introduced the bipartisan Safe Roads for Those Who Serve Act, legislation aimed at improving protections for the workers and first responders who do their jobs alongside live traffic every day. For highway contractors, the bill reflects a growing recognition in Congress that work zone and roadside safety must remain a national priority, not just for motorists, but also for the construction workers, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel, tow truck operators, and others who face serious risks on the nation’s roads. The legislation would take several practical steps to address those…
On Friday, March 19, 2026, a Judge dismissed a Kentucky milling company’s challenge to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program in Mid-America Milling Company v. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The ruling is a victory for DBE contractors who successfully preserved a future administration’s ability to reinstate the sex and race-based presumptions authorized by Congress. The case was dismissed because it was declared moot. Under the Constitution, U.S. courts only have the authority to adjudicate live cases and controversies. If the conduct being challenged stops, there is nothing left for the court to fix and the case is dismissed. …
Electricity demand in the United States is projected to reach new highs in the coming years. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that power consumption will set records in both 2026 and 2027. After more than a decade of modest growth, rising consumption is putting fresh pressure on the power grid, marking a shift from the relatively flat demand patterns of the 2010s, when efficiency gains and slower load growth kept overall use stable Rapid expansion of data centers that support cloud computing and artificial intelligence is driving higher power consumption in many regions. Electrification across the economy is also increasing demand as more vehicles, buildings, and industrial processes…
In the last few years, the Department of War (DoW) has proposed and released regulations that require Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance. For construction contractors working on DoW projects, compliance with the CMMC presents significant challenges. To assist with new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), AGC of America has launched an updated landing page and resource center designed to help members navigate the rapidly evolving requirements surrounding Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). As federal cybersecurity regulations continue to expand, and with new Department of War rules now in effect, contractors need clear, dependable guidance more than ever. The refreshed landing page (www.agc.org/cmmc) and member resource center bring together the latest updates, news, and compliance tools in one centralized,…
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun to outline how it intends to return billions of dollars in tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a development with potentially significant implications for contractors, suppliers, and construction project pricing. In a March 6, 2026, filing with the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT), CBP described a preliminary framework for an administrative tariff refund process that is expected to go live within approximately 45 days. The filing follows a March 4 CIT order directing CBP to liquidate or reliquidate entries to remove IEEPA tariffs, implementing the U.S. Supreme…