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On Sept. 30, the U.S. Department of Transportation released an interim final rule to revise its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.

As of Oct. 1, the federal government is shut down, as Congress has failed to reach a deal to pass legislation to fund the government. This story was updated on Oct. 8 to include additional resources.

If Congress fails to reach a deal to pass legislation to fund the federal government, the government will shut down on Oct. 1.

​​​​​​​Associated Builders and Contractors applauds Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., for the reintroduction of the bipartisan H.R. 5494, the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act. The act establishes a targeted, nonfarm, temporary worker visa program with built-in safeguards to protect both employers and employees. The bill ensures that jobs remain open and available to American workers first, while giving businesses a legal, reliable pathway to fill long-standing vacancies.

Sept. 17, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce passed the ABC-supported H.R. 2844, Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program Act, The bill makes VPPs permanent and requires the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to allocate a minimum of 5% of its annual budget to the program. ABC believes that encouraging collaborative partnerships between the regulated community and OSHA, such as VPPs, is a win-win approach.

On Sept. 9, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a final rule implementing its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Program into the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation, requiring federal contractors and subcontractors competing for DOD contracts to demonstrate continued compliance with a range of cybersecurity measures in order to maintain eligibility for performing and winning new federal awards.

On Sept. 2, ABC submitted comments in support of the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule to end discrimination and streamline rules for registered apprenticeships, Prohibiting Illegal Discrimination in Registered Apprenticeship Programs.

On July 14, the U.S. Department of Labor updated its guidance on penalty and debt collection procedures, outlined in the Penalties and Debt Collection section of OSHA’s Field Operations Manual, to help minimize the burden on small businesses and increase prompt hazard abatement. The new policy expands penalty reductions for small employers, making it easier for small businesses to invest resources in compliance and hazard abatement.

On July 27, the U.S. Department of Labor announced programs from six agencies designed to help the regulated community voluntarily assess and improve compliance with federal labor laws. The programs are aimed at strengthening worker protections while reducing the risk of investigations or penalties.

On July 3, ABC sent a letter in support of H.R.3898, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act. The letter urges the U.S. House of Representatives to advance the legislation, providing much-needed, commonsense reforms to the Clean Water Act.