Author: agcnews

On May 6, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee unanimously approved two water-related infrastructure bills. The America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (AWIA), as amended, would invest the nation’s water resources infrastructure and clean water infrastructure and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (DWIA), as amended, would invest in the nation’s drinking water infrastructure. AGC applauded the Committee’s bipartisan efforts to develop the bills and highlighted provisions that it supports. Last month, AGC, along with four other organizations, was invited by EPW to submit a written statement on the discussion drafts. These bills will now go to the full Senate for consideration. For more information, contact Murphie Barrett at murphie.barrett@agc.org.

AGC and its Transportation Construction Coalition partners organized a bipartisan effort led by Reps. Conor Lamb (D-Penn.) and Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) calling on the leadership of the House of Representatives to include an immediate $49.95 billion federal fund infusion for state departments of transportation (DOT) to move planned projects forward. Projections are showing decreases in state motor fuel tax and toll receipts as vehicle traffic declines by 50 percent in most parts of the country due to work and travel restrictions. Some state DOTs could experience losses as high as 45 percent, leading to significant project letting delays and cancellations,…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today posted an updated and expanded technical assistance publication addressing questions arising under the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Laws related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The publication, “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” expands on a previous publication that focused on the ADA and Rehabilitation Act. The newly added questions and answers, G.3, G.4., and G.5., provide information about the accommodation of employees with underlying medical conditions. The answer to G.4. was revised after initial posting to clarify that the ADA does not…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will delay the anticipated opening of the 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection and the 2020 EEO-3 and EEO-5 data collections because of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency, the agency announced today in a Federal Register notice. The EEO (equal employment opportunity) surveys collect data from employers in different sectors of the workforce. The EEOC was planning to open the following EEO surveys in 2020: the 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 (Employer Information Report); the 2020 EEO-3 (Local Report); and the 2020 EEO-5 (Elementary-Secondary Staff Information Report). The EEOC recognizes the impact that the current…

Numerous impediments to completing construction projects led to declines in most categories of private construction spending in March, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials warn that the Treasury Department’s threats to audit or prosecute some Paycheck Protection Program loan recipients and deny loan recipients tax deductions are making it harder for construction firms already coping with declining private-sector demand to retain staff. “Unfortunately, these numbers are only the beginning of what seems sure to be a steep decline in construction spending as current projects finish and new work…

On April 28, AGC helped facilitate a meeting with President Trump for AGC member Ali Mills from Plum Contracting, a member through the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania Chapter. During that visit, Ali got to tell her story about how the Paycheck Protection Program loans helped her put people back to work in her part of the country. You can listen to or watch her on the latest edition of AGC’s ConstructorCast Coronavirus Special Report.

Texas Add the Most Jobs; Association Survey Indicates Losses will Spread Construction employment declined in 99 out of 358 metro areas from March 2019 to last month as the coronavirus pandemic triggered the first shutdown orders and project cancellations, according to an analysis released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials urged federal and state officials to boost investments in infrastructure to help put more people to work amid rising unemployment levels. “These new figures foreshadow even larger declines in construction employment throughout the country as the pandemic’s economic damage grows more severe,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief…

COVID-19 has led to a surge of project cancellations and shut down construction almost entirely in some states, as per AGC’s coronavirus survey results. In this episode, Ali Mills from Plum Contracting Inc., talks about how the new federal Paycheck Protection Program has made a meaningful difference for her company, allowing her to rehire and retain employees and endure the construction stop order in Pennsylvania. As construction is given the green light in PA on May 1, Ali anticipates all her employees will be back to full salary, a story that she will also share at a press conference at…

On April 23, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued new and troubling guidance on the Paycheck Program. This guidance recasts one of the several vague certifications that borrowers have to make, suggesting that it requires borrowers to prepare themselves “to demonstrate” that, at the time they applied for the loan, that they did not have access to enough other “sources of liquidity” to support their ongoing operations. In this episode, two partners in one of Washington’s most prominent law firms, Crowell & Morning, put the new guidance into context and explain how borrowers should respond to it, including the…

A large share of construction firms promptly received loan funds under the new Paycheck Protection Program, enabling many of them to hire or retain employees despite a surge in project cancellations, according to a survey released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the job-saving measure appeared to be working but cautioned that longer term recovery measures, like new infrastructure funding and establishing a recovery fund, are needed. “Most contractors report they have applied for the new federal loans, which are intended to enable small businesses to keep employees on their payrolls,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief…