WASHINGTON, May 28—Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen today lauded the passage of H.R. 7010, the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, by the U.S. House of Representatives and urged the U.S. Senate to quickly take up the legislation:

WASHINGTON, May 28—Associated Builders and Contractors recently launched the Safe and Healthy Construction Pledge, an industry-wide call to action to redouble construction jobsite safety commitments under new protocols due to the coronavirus outbreak. Open to all U.S. contractors and industry associations, the pledge calls for prevention, preparedness and response plans to prevent injuries and disease and safeguard total human health.

WASHINGTON, May 21—According to the results of Associated Builders and Contractors 2020 Workforce Development Survey, ABC contractor members invested $1.5 billion on workforce development initiatives in 2019, providing craft, leadership and safety education to 1.1 million course attendees to advance their careers in commercial and industrial construction. Safety education accounted for nearly half of the total workforce investment, averaging $1,147 per employee annually.

WASHINGTON, May 19—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Brandon Mabile, business development manager, Performance Contractors, Houston, received ABC’s 2020 Young Professional of the Year Award. Mabile will be honored during the Careers in Construction Awards at ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 19.

WASHINGTON, May 19—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Ron Cayton, general superintendent, Gaylor Electric, Charlotte, North Carolina, was named the 2020 Craft Professional of the Year. Cayton will be honored during the Careers in Construction Awards at ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 19.

WASHINGTON, May 19—Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Bryan Gamble, a certified electrical contractor and instructor for the ABC Greater Tennessee Chapter, was named the 2020 Craft Instructor of the Year. Gamble will be honored during the Careers in Construction Awards at ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 19.

WASHINGTON, May 15—Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu warned the economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak would be quite different for the nonresidential construction industry compared to previous recessions, according to an economic outlook published in Construction Executive magazine.

WASHINGTON, May 13—Construction input prices fell 4.4% in April from the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices declined 4.2% for the month.

WASHINGTON, May 12—Today, Associated Builders and Contractors, American Institute of CPAs, National Federation of Independent Business, the S Corporation Association and four other small business advocates issued the following statement in response to the lack of clear and consistent guidance from the Department of the Treasury’s and Small Business Administration’s on the Paycheck Protection Program. The statement is also supported by the National Electrical Contractors Association, American Council of Engineering Companies and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. Together, these groups represent the voice of several million small businesses.

WASHINGTON, May 12—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 7.8 months in April, the series’ lowest reading since the third quarter of 2012. Based on an ABC member survey conducted April 20-May 4, the results indicate that confidence among U.S. construction industry leaders inched higher last month compared to the historically low levels observed in the March survey.

WASHINGTON, May 8—The construction industry lost 975,000 jobs on net in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This was the largest recorded decrease in construction jobs since the government began tracking employment in 1939, despite construction remaining an essential industry in much of the nation through April.

WASHINGTON, May 1—National nonresidential construction spending fell 0.1% in March and is up 2.0% compared to the same time last year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, spending totaled $802.6 billion for the month.