ABC Weighs In on House Subcommittee Hearing on Infrastructure Investment

On Feb. 26, ABC sent a letter calling on Congress to consider how its infrastructure investment agenda could impact merit shop contractors and the small business community during a hearing titled Moving America’s Infrastructure Forward. Convened by U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business’ Contracting and Infrastructure Subcommittee, the hearing was timed to coordinate with the recent release of Democrats’ $760 billion infrastructure investment framework, the Moving Forward Framework.  

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ABC Weighs in on Elements of a Successful Infrastructure Package

On March 1, ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman joined members of Congress, senior committee staff, key industry stakeholders and top administration officials for discussions on the challenges of writing and passing a package to revitalize America’s infrastructure. Read the rest of entry »

President Trump Releases Infrastructure Proposal

On Feb. 12, President Donald Trump announced the release of his administration’s infrastructure proposal. ABC President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman issued the following statement on the president’s infrastructure plan: “ABC applauds the president for sending Congress a plan to rebuild America’s infrastructure. It is now time for lawmakers to develop legislation and policy to efficiently modernize America’s infrastructure and drive economic growth and prosperity for all Americans." Read the rest of entry »

Congress Passes Funding Deal Ahead of White House 2019 Budget Request

On Feb. 9, shortly before the White House released its 2019 budget request, both chambers of Congress passed, and the president signed, a funding agreement that sets a budget for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. The deal will raise federal spending caps by $300 billion in 2018 and 2019 and suspend the debt limit until 2019. Read the rest of entry »

Study: Private Activity Bonds Would Create Jobs, Fast Track Construction, Save Money

A new study from the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) for Public Policy Research shows the economy and the construction industry would benefit if Congress passed the Public Building Renewal Act (PBRA).
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ABC's Mike Bellaman Talks Federal Regulatory Reform at the White House

On Oct. 2, ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman attended a White House event with roughly 300 representatives from industry groups and other private sector organizations where Vice President Pence spoke about the need for deregulation and rule-cutting. Following the White House event, 10 federal agencies and departments hosted meetings to discuss their respective regulatory agendas, several of which ABC National staff attended.
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Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecard

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 21– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today released its annual update to “Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecard,” which reviews and grades state-specific policies and information significant to the success of the commercial and industrial construction industry. The scorecard highlights states that have created a free enterprise-based environment where merit shop contractors are well positioned to succeed and calls attention to states where strategic improvements need to be made.
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Conference Offers In-Depth Look at Public-Private Partnerships

Join ABC and a growing list of industry professionals in Dallas, Texas, Feb. 23-25, for the annual Public-Private Partnership Conference (P3C), one of the largest gatherings of government and industry development professionals in the country.  The conference will host more than 750 owners, industry executives, key decision-makers, and more than 100 speakers for three days of in-depth learning, business development, and networking opportunities to address the critical principles behind successful public-private partnerships (P3).  
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Public-Private Partnership Miami Summit Addresses Social Infrastructure

During the inaugural P3s for Public Buildings Summit Nov. 17-18 in Miami, Fla., the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) and the Performance Based Building Coalition (PBBC) will team up to educate stakeholders about developing and financing  public-private partnerships (P3s) for public buildings,  understanding federal policy challenges and solutions, forecasting the future of the P3 marketplace and highlighting specific examples of successful P3 projects.
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ABC Concerned Senate Water Resource Bill will Expand Davis Bacon, Exclude P3s

In response to the House-Senate Conference meeting on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080) and the Water Resources Development Act (S. 601), ABC Jan. 7 sent a letter to members of Congress thanking them for recognizing the importance of our nation’s water infrastructure and for moving forward with the first Water Resource Reauthorization bill since 2007. However, ABC also expressed concern that the proposed Senate bill would expand Davis Bacon requirements and exclude a public-private partnership (P3s) program.
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