Includes MilCon, VA, and USACE Civil Works Funding On June 25, the Senate approved the House-passed “minibus” appropriations bill (H.R. 5895) by a vote of 86-5. The minibus includes funding for Energy and Water, the Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2019. These three bills are the first of the twelve
In recent weeks a group of Democrats have introduced the so-called Workplace Democracy Act (WDA), which radically changes labor law’s in the country. The bill not only restores the “card check” proposal from previous congresses that eliminates the right to secret ballots in union representation elections, but goes even further by expanding joint employer standards, restricting traditional
The House of Representatives passed an AGC-backed bipartisan bill that will require federal agencies to publish their change orders policy and procedures on any small federal construction contract. This change allows prospective federal construction contractors to better factor into their bids the risk and resulting cost of delayed payment for change orders. This bill resulted from AGC
AGC joined members of the Coalition for Crane Operator Safety this week in urging Congress to press the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to finalize a rule on the certification requirements for crane operators. AGC opposes attempts to block OSHA from funding such a rule. Currently, the long-delayed rule is under final review and could be
On April 26, AGC urged the House of Representatives to authorize airport infrastructure improvement funding totaling $25.4 billion—a $5.3 billion increase compared to existing levels—over the next five years as part of the multi-year Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. The infrastructure funds would come through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which helps finance runway construction, among
On April 18, AGC submitted its response to the National Labor Relations Board’s Request for Information regarding representation-case procedures. AGC also joined a response submitted by the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW). Both responses call on the Board to rescind or modify its 2014 rule that changed the procedures for union representation elections. The rule is often called the “quickie”
AGC Joins Coalition to Help Mitigate Effects of Tariffs on the Construction Industry On March 19, the Department of Commerce published its exclusion process procedures (interim final rule) for steel and aluminum tariffs. The Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security will collect comments on the interim final rule until May 18, and the Bureau’s website provides more
On March 21, congressional leaders unveiled a funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2018 that includes at least $10 billion in additional infrastructure investment—compared to FY 2017 and promised in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018—for roads, bridges, mass transit, airports, ports, flood control, drinking water and waste water facilities, military construction, low income housing construction and more.
Urges DOL to Protect Chapter-Sponsored Health Plans On March 6, AGC submitted comments to the U. S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) in response to a proposed rule intended to expand association health plans and increase flexibility for small employers to join groups or associations to offer insured health coverage in the large group
This week, AGC joined a coalition effort to clear up confusion surrounding the many legislative definitions for “joint employer” in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Late last year, the House approved AGC-backed legislation that restores the joint employer standard that existed prior to the National Labor Relations
