On May 11, over 135 members of the House—led by Reps. Conor Lamb (D-PA) and Bob Gibbs (R-OH)—called on Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy to support approximately $50 billion in federal funding for state departments of transportation (DOTs) in the next COVID-19 response package. AGC, along with other transportation construction stakeholders, spearheaded this effort. Also this
Billions in new SBA PPP Program Funding Included On April 23, the House passed a $480 billion coronavirus relief package that included $310 billion in new funding for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The Senate passed this measure overwhelmingly on Tuesday, April 21. AGC has been pushing for the new funding due to
AGC of America has assembled general guidance and links to information from our federal agency partners and health organizations. AGC will continue to monitor the situation and update the information on its website accordingly. Check out the page at agc.org/coronavirus-covid-19.
On March 25, the Senate passed, 96-0, H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It is expected to be taken up by the House of Representatives soon. The CARES Act, a $2 trillion economic relief package, is the third in a series of coronavirus related measures Congress has taken up in recent
On March 18, President Trump signed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, into law in response to the recent Coronavirus outbreak. This measure, while taking many level-headed actions to mitigate risks to our communities, included a new employer-fronted paid leave mandate that AGC strongly advocated against. AGC recommended to Congress that the federal government—not construction
On March 10, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provided guidance requiring the recording and reporting of workplace exposures to COVID-19. The guidance, while well intended, did not consider all of the potential negative impacts on the regulated community. On March 12, AGC of America CEO Stephen Sandherr spoke one-on-one with U.S. Secretary of
On Dec. 20, President Trump signed two spending packages totaling $1.4 trillion, preventing another year-end government shutdown and providing annual funding to all agencies of the federal government through September 30, 2020. Overall, federal construction accounts saw about a nine percent increase—or $12.4 billion—in funding in comparison to FY 2019 funding levels. Click here for a full AGC
On Nov. 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized an AGC-supported(link is external) that expands universal waste regulations to include aerosol cans and streamlines the management of this waste. This measure should help construction firms maintain a lower-tier generator category, as aerosol cans are often the only hazardous waste stream produced on a construction site.
On Nov. 21, Congress sent FY 2020 funding legislation to President Trump that includes AGC-backed repeal of a $7.6 billion cut to federal highway funding, known as a “rescission,” that was scheduled to take place on July 1, 2020. This rescission—required by the current federal highway and transit law, the FAST Act— would have affected all 50
On Sept. 19, the Senate Appropriations committee approved its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2020 funding package for U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) programs. The Senate bill, like the House bill passed in June, includes the full $46.365 billion FAST Act obligation limitation for the federal-aid highway program, a $1.1 billion increase over 2019.
