Author: clara.kinney@agc.org
Rising fuel prices continue to drive renewed interest in suspending the federal gas tax, but the conversation is now expanding beyond Washington as several states take action and others consider similar measures. Suspending the gas tax, whether at the federal or state level, does not address the underlying causes of higher fuel prices. It also creates challenges for transportation funding. At the federal level, the gas tax is the primary source of revenue for the Highway Trust Fund, which supports investments in roads, bridges, and transit systems. Reducing or suspending that revenue makes it more difficult to maintain consistent funding…
National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) officially kicked off this week in Farmington, Connecticut, with more than 100 attendees gathering at a Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) maintenance facility to highlight the importance of work zone safety. The event, hosted by CTDOT, brought together federal, state, and industry leaders to emphasize the shared responsibility of protecting roadway workers and the traveling public. The program featured remarks from Connecticut DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, who served as emcee, along with speakers representing public safety, labor, and the construction industry. Federal Highway Administration Administrator Sean McMaster and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont delivered keynote…
Recent conversations on the next surface transportation reauthorization have focused on a possible five-year topline in the $500 billion to $600 billion range. At first glance, that sounds much smaller than the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s often-cited $1.2 trillion figure. But it’s not apples to apples. The $1.2 trillion number attached to IIJA covered a much broader set of infrastructure investments beyond roads, bridges, and transit, including things like broadband, water, and energy. For construction companies focused on highway and transit work, the more important comparison is not the overall IIJA headline, but the portion of the law that…
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. …