As part of ABC’s partnership with the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) to educate lawmakers and the construction industry about the benefits of public-private partnerships (P3s), ABC South Texas Chapter is sponsoring a conference Sept. 11, in Austin, Texas.

The Lean Construction Institute (LCI) will be holding its LCI Congress Oct. 22-24 in Dallas, which will include presentations and training for both the design and construction aspects of lean building. LCI is providing a variety of registration options. View the options and register now.

Two key pass-through structures favored by small businesses pay a significantly higher effective tax rate than large corporations, according to an Aug. 7 study released by National Federation of Independent Business and the S Corporation Association, of which ABC is a coalition member.  Analysis by Quantria Strategies shows that S corps will pay the highest effective tax rate in 2013 at 31.6 percent, compared to 29.4 percent for partnerships, 17.8 percent for C-corporations and 15.1 percent for sole proprietorships.  Effective tax rates are the percentage of income businesses pay in taxes.

Two key pass-through structures favored by small businesses pay a significantly higher effective tax rate than large corporations, according to an Aug. 7 study released by National Federation of Independent Business and the S Corporation Association, of which ABC is a coalition member.  

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Aug. 8 met with White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials to voice concerns about two anticipated final rules from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that drastically alter existing affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations regarding individuals with disabilities and veterans. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Aug. 7 posted an enforcement policy on its website, effective immediately, that clarifies it will not apply the provision under its revised hours of service (HOS) rule that requires drivers to take a 30-minutes break for every eight hours of consecutive driving to short-haul drives. 

Members and chapter staff can view any of ABC’s past webinars on the Academy for Construction Ethics Compliance and Best Practices.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills in bipartisan votes that will help reform the regulatory process. The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 367) passed 232-183 on Aug. 2 and the Energy Consumers Relief Act (H.R. 1582) passed 232-181 on Aug. 1.

The National Labor Relations Board has petitioned for re-hearings in both courts that struck down its August 2011 “Notification of Employee Rights” rule. Under the rule, employers would have been required to display a poster in their workplace that contained a biased and incomplete list of employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act. 

It’s always a good idea to take advantage of any opportunity to meet face to face with a legislator when he or she holds a town hall meeting or forum in the district, but it’s even better to organize a personal meeting or company event. With Congress on recess, now is an excellent time to schedule these events.