Author: clara.kinney@agc.org

On November 4, 2025, voters across the country reaffirmed their support for transportation investment, approving most local and regional ballot measures aimed at improving infrastructure, transit, and mobility. The initiatives ranged from local road and sidewalk upgrades to large-scale transit expansions, reflecting widespread recognition of the need for continued investment in transportation systems. Among the most notable wins were Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, who approved a 1-percent sales tax increase dedicating 60 percent of revenue to public transit improvements. Voters in Columbus, Ohio, overwhelmingly supported a $400 million bond measure to upgrade streets and sidewalks. The bond measure was part…

CMMC requirements are expected to be included in U.S. Department of Defense contracts as soon as Nov. 10. As a result, contractors that work with the federal government must ensure that their systems and data handling meet the requirements of the DOD’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. Compliance isn’t just a box to check; it’s essential to winning and retaining government contracts. Join AGC and Egnyte, a Capstone Sponsor, for a practical, step-by-step webinar on how to take the final steps to CMMC compliance. Experts will break down the framework into five clear, actionable steps, helping you understand where your business…

AGC of America submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Monday, November 3, regarding its Interim Final Rule (IFR) revising the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. As you may recall, AGC previously reported that the IFR makes major structural changes to the DBE and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) programs by eliminating race- and sex-based presumptions for qualifying as a DBE and requiring all currently certified firms to be reevaluated under new standards. In its comments, AGC emphasized the need for clear federal guidance to prevent project delays, inconsistent application, and administrative overload across states. The association’s recommendations…

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Part of this order was a directive to the U.S. attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security to “evaluate and undertake any lawful actions to ensure that so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions . . . do not receive access to Federal funds.” Consequently, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a letter to all recipients of Depart of Transportation (DOT) funding to “clarify and reaffirm pertinent legal requirements … and to provide a reminder of your responsibilities and the consequences of noncompliance with Federal…

Members of AGC’s Utility Infrastructure Division – who are engaged in utility construction, including water and wastewater facilities and pipelines, energy generation and transmission, and telecommunications infrastructure – traveled to Tucson, Arizona to participate in an meeting that coincided with the Common Ground Alliance’s (CGA) annual Fall Summit. AGC members discussed an array of topics relating to utility infrastructure in the meeting, including 811 policies and procedures, PHMSA reauthorization, permitting reform, PFAS liabilities for contractors, safety planning for utility excavation and more. In addition to national AGC members, the Arizona AGC chapter attended the meeting, and Arizona AGC hosted all…

The U.S. Department of Transportation has released an official FAQ document to guide agencies and industry through implementation of the October 3, 2025 Interim Final Rule (IFR) changing race and sex based presumptions to the DBE programs. The FAQ comes at a time when states are implementing the new IFR in a variety of ways. One of the main points of uncertainty was for contracting already in the pipeline. The FAQ states that state DOTs must remove DBE goals from advertisements before letting and “zero out” goals on projects that have been let but not yet awarded/executed. However, contracts that…

On October 21, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) issued a memo intended to speed up deregulatory actions, citing faster internal reviews and increased use of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) “good cause” exceptions. The rulemaking process is primarily controlled by the APA and Executive Order 12866. During the rulemaking process, EO 12866 requires significant rules to be sent to OIRA for White House and interagency review before publication. This process can be a bottleneck and has become a major reason why rulemaking projects can drag on for years at a time. The status quo calls…

AGC has called on Congress to quickly pass a clean continuing resolution to end the government shutdown. As the shutdown continues into its fourth week, contractors may start to experience impacts to their work. Here is what we at AGC of America expect: Permitting The good news in the permitting world is that for stormwater and many of the other major environmental permitting programs, states have assumed responsibility for administration. Except in areas where EPA is the permitting authority, contractors should still be able to work with their states to file notices of intent or notices of termination. For the…

On January 14, 2025, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a final rule rescinding the long-standing Buy America waiver for manufactured products used in federal-aid infrastructure projects. The rule will be rolled out in two phases. The rule defines a “manufactured product” as any construction material that has been processed into a specific form or combined with other materials to create a distinct item. This encompasses a wide range of products, including pre-fabricated components and complex machinery. The DOT has clarified that all stages of manufacturing for these products—from initial processing to final assembly—must take place domestically to comply with…

10/24/2025 UPDATE: U.S. DOT has released a Frequently Asked Questions document addressing many questions about the new DBE Rule. On October 3, 2025 the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program which removes the race and sex-based presumptions from the program. Because the rule took effect immediately, many questions have arisen regarding its impact on specific elements of the DBE program and on ongoing or upcoming projects and lettings. States are taking varied approaches to implementation and enforcement, particularly regarding whether or not to apply existing DBE contract goals…