Author: agcnews

Construction employment in November remained below pre-pandemic levels in 35 states and the District of Columbia even though 31 states and D.C. added construction jobs from October to November, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials urged federal officials to swiftly renew a program to enable firms to keep workers on their payrolls while the pandemic is pushing back the start date for many projects. “An increase in project cancellations and postponements is forcing nonresidential contractors to lay off workers as they complete projects started before the pandemic and firms…

President-elect Joe Biden campaigned on reversing the Trump Administration’s regulatory reforms in the environmental arena and ramping up efforts to address climate change and environmental justice. Biden is currently working with his transition team to review potential nominees to head up the key environmental regulatory agencies and new climate leadership positions that he intends to create within the White House. Biden’s campaign website included a detailed plan for a “Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice.” The plan promised to “sign a series of new executive orders with unprecedented reach that go well beyond the Obama-Biden Administration platform” related to climate. It also pledged to weigh…

On December 4, the House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 3884), which would remove marijuana from the federally controlled substances list and thereby leave individual states to determine whether or not to legalize it. AGC leads—with the National Safety Coalition and other construction groups—the call for Congress to consider the impacts of such an approach on workplace safety and help with developing an evidence-based standard for detecting marijuana impairment before passing such legislation. The bill is not unlikely to be considered by the Senate in 2020. As such, it will have to start the legislative process…

On December 15, President-elect Joe Biden nominated former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg to become the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). As one of the few candidates in the presidential field to introduce a full infrastructure plan, Buttigieg supported transitioning the nation from the current motor fuels tax to a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) user fee. AGC looks forward to learning more about Mayor Buttigieg’s vision for USDOT during his Senate confirmation hearing and, if confirmed, looks forward to working with his Department to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure.

AGC has been tracking several regulatory actions relevant to construction that may be advanced in the last weeks of the Trump Administration. AGC considers below what has recently been released and what remains to be completed, as well as, which actions may be vulnerable to change during a Biden Administration. What Can Reasonably Be Accomplished on Trump’s Regulatory Agenda in the Time Remaining? The Trump Administration continues to push forward with a full regulatory initiative as seen in its Unified Agenda, released on December 9. AGC is tracking several rules and guidance, some of which are at the Office of Management and Budget…

The EEOC has released COVID-19 vaccination-related guidance, including information about employer-mandated vaccinations for employees. The guidance can be found in the EEOC’s existing resource on COVID: What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws. The new COVID-19 vaccination-related guidance answers the following questions: ADA and Title VII Issues Regarding Mandatory Vaccinations ADA and Vaccinations Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and COVID-19 Vaccinations In response to inquiries from the public, the EEOC has provided resources on its website related to the pandemic in an employment context. AGC will continues to…

On Dec. 8, AGC filed suit against the Small Business Administration (SBA), seeking to compel the agency to restrict its use of the “Loan Necessity Questionnaire” now going out to all companies seeking forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans over $2 million – and ultimately, to compel SBA to revise the form itself. The details lie in the thirty-page complaint that AGC filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. AGC recognizes that SBA has every right and even an obligation to ensure that companies were eligible for the PPP loans they are now asking SBA to forgive. But AGC…

On December 14, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), of which AGC is an active member, filed comments supporting the Department of Labor’s proposed rule on financial disclosure reports that unions annually must file with the Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. The proposed rule would expand the disclosures that unions must report on Form LM-2 and would require larger unions to file a new Forum LM-2 Long Form. While the comments suggest a number of revisions to the particulars but encourage adoption of the rule in general. They note that the Department took advantage of a decade of experience and technical advancement since…

Now with more than 660 episodes and averaging 115,000 listeners, The Peggy Smedley Show is ranked as the No. 1 IoT and digital transformation podcast. On this episode, Peggy and Brian Turmail, VP, public affairs & strategic initiatives, Associated General Contractors of America, talk about the impact of COVID-19 on construction. They also discuss: https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/17136227/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/be1e2d/

On December 8, the House of Representatives passed a compromise National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021 (NDAA). This bill authorizes $8.4 billion military construction, family housing, and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) cleanup activities. Earlier this year, AGC, along with a coalition of associations, sent Congress a list of over 130 priorities to consider for the NDAA. The bill is expected to pass the Senate. Some noteworthy provisions particular to construction contractors are: The defense bill is expected to be enacted into law this year, which would mark the 60th year in row. AGC will continue to work with Congress and advocate for further reforms…