Author: agcnews

On March 15, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a notice for public input on its current recommendations for disclosing climate risks and how it could change or supplement that process in the future. The Commission currently relies on its 2010 guidance to help entities understand how to identify and report on climate risks that could impact investors. Now, the SEC faces considerable pressure to revisit and expand the guidance to include more on material risks and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. The SEC is asking for feedback on 15 topics associated with the regulation of climate disclosures—including how the rules should…

On March 31, President Joe Biden released the American Jobs Plan, a $2 trillion, wide-ranging infrastructure proposal that seeks to invest in all modes of transportation, water, electric, broadband, public buildings, manufacturing, and much more. On the transportation front, Biden is proposing $621 billion in “additional” investment, including: While it is unclear at this time, AGC assumes this “additional” investment is meant to represent an increase in spending over current levels of funding for current surface transportation programs. The proposal did not specify whether this funding represents a one-time spending investment or an investment over multiple years. While the relation to current funding…

After delaying the opening of the 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 Data Collections on May 8, 2020 in light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that the collections will now open on Monday, April 26, 2021. The deadline for submitting 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data will be Monday, July 19, 2021. Recognizing the continuing differential impacts of the pandemic on workplaces nationwide and the requirement to submit two years of EEO-1 data, the EEOC is extending the data collection period this year from 10 weeks to 12 weeks to provide employers additional time…

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark for 2021. Effective March 31, 2021, the hiring benchmark will be 5.6 percent, slightly down from 5.7 percent in 2020. This benchmark is an annual goal for the percentage of hires who are veterans at each affirmative action plan (AAP) establishment VEVRAA requires contractors with written affirmative action programs (AAPs) to either establish hiring benchmarks for protected veterans each year or to adopt the OFCCP’s annual national benchmark. As a result of this requirement, contractors must compare…

Every week brings new reports of materials costs hitting record highs, while lead times lengthen or become ever more uncertain. AGC of America recently released a Construction Inflation Alert. This document is intended to help chapters and members explain to owners, government officials, and others, what is happening and what all parties can do to minimize the damage. AGC will hold a webinar on “Soaring Material and Supply-Chain Costs and Delays: What to Expect, How to Cope” on Wednesday, April 14, 3:30-4:30 pm EDT. This timely program will cover the latest information on current costs and supply-chain issues for a variety of…

The Nevada Chapter Construction Leadership Council (CLC), founded in 2013, fulfills the need to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the construction industry. CLC provides an opportunity for members to network, develop leadership skills, serve their community, and exchange ideas about the industry and challenges they face as mid-career professionals. Although the pandemic made it nearly impossible to conduct any in-person events or meetings, we managed to make magic happen! Thankfully, we had already been putting on a successful Sporting Clay Shoot and this was our 7th year in a row. Although we had to postpone the event until August…

Construction employment in February remained below pre-pandemic levels in all but six states, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today, while soaring materials costs and supply-chain problems threaten future employment. The association issued a Construction Inflation Alert detailing the problems and urged a rollback of tariffs and other supply impediments. “Today’s figures show most states are still far from recovering the construction jobs lost a year ago,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “The overall economy is recovering, but huge price spikes and ever-lengthening delivery times threaten to set construction back further.” Read more.

AGC of America has released an analysis of how the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 (PRO Act) would affect open-shop construction contractors, as well as a shorter summary on the same topic. The papers are posted on AGC’s PRO Act web page along with similar papers addressing the bill’s potential impact on union contractors, an AGC ConsructorCast recording, and other PRO Act resources. The PRO Act proposes sweeping changes to labor law that threaten the viability of the commercial construction industry, its long history of offering advancement and opportunity to all workers, and its ability to rebuild our economy and revive our nation. It seeks…

President Biden is expected to put forth his proposal for a multi-trillion investment in infrastructure on March 31. The proposal is expected to include significant investments in a broad range of construction projects including roads, bridges, public transit, airports, drinking water and wastewater, schools, renewable energy, broadband and more. In addition to physical infrastructure, proposal is anticipated to include significant investments in “human infrastructure,” including but not limited to free community colleges, universal pre-kindergarten and paid family leave. AGC welcomes sorely-needed public and private construction investment that can generate long-term benefits for our economy, communities and national security. However, AGC…

On March 25, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made his first visit to Capitol Hill in his new capacity to testify before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In his opening statement, Buttigieg highlighted that now is “the best chance in any of our lifetimes to make a generational investment in infrastructure.” Of note Buttigieg also stated in the hearing that he has “heard loud and clear from members of Congress, Republican and Democratic, that an infrastructure proposal needs to have at least a partial funding source.” President Biden is reported to announce his proposal for a multi-trillion…