Newsline

On June 30, the Senate passed legislation by unanimous consent that would extend the application period for the small business Paycheck Protection Program through Aug. 8. The application period ended on June 30, and the bill still needs to be approved by the House and signed into law by President Trump.

Last week, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) signed legislation (SF 2338) that protects business owners and employees from COVID-19-related liability lawsuits. ABC of Iowa supported the bill, which protects business owners from coronavirus liability lawsuits while excepting lawsuits against individuals who recklessly or intentionally put others at risk.

Registration for ABC’s Election Series, powered by the Free Enterprise Alliance, is now open! The series kicks off on Thursday, July 16, and will run through Election Day, with two webinars scheduled per month. 

On June 25, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a compliance directive designed to ensure uniformity in inspection and enforcement procedures when addressing respirable crystalline silica exposures in general industry, maritime and construction.

On June 22, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) was joined by six other Democratic House committee chairs in a press conference releasing the  Democratic Infrastructure Bill, H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act.  

On June 17, The Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422), introduced by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), was passed in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 73-25. This bipartisan legislation would help address the $20 billion deferred maintenance backlog in the Department of the Interior, $12 billion of which is accumulated by the National Park Service, creating thousands of construction jobs in the process.

On June 10, ABC’s Construction Executive magazine held a webinar featuring ABC chief economist Anirban Basu that focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has rocked a nearly invincible economy, wreaking havoc on the construction industry, and how the current recession might dovetail into prospective growth in the future.

Construction Executive has been named a regional Gold Azbee Award winner in the “best social media campaign” category for the magazine’s first annual CE Photo Contest.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a series of bills into law this week, two of which impact the state’s infrastructure and construction industry.

On June 4, President Trump signed executive order 13927, which directs federal agencies to expedite the delivery of transportation infrastructure projects, an action ABC said will streamline permitting and facilitate infrastructure improvements while protecting the environment, health and safety.