A compromised version the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018(NDAA)—which would authorize nearly $700 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD)—is expected to pass Congress and be signed into law after the Thanksgiving holiday. The NDAA contains a host of AGC-backed federal construction procurement provisions important to construction contractors. Most importantly, however, is the fact that a federal contractor blacklisting provision is not in the final NDAA bill, thanks to AGC and industry coalition advocacy efforts.
As wenoted previously, the Senate version of the bill originally contained a section that would essentially resurrect the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces (Blacklisting) Executive Order. AGC met with Senate offices and have worked with the Blacklisting Coalition to voice the concerns of industry. The compromised defense bill removes that provision. AGC will continue to monitor this study and advocate for the exclusion of any further blacklisting rules.