ABC of California applauded the California State Assembly for the unanimous and bipartisan passage of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 23, which proclaims March 18, 2021 as Construction Suicide Prevention Awareness Day in California—raising awareness of an important health problem affecting the state’s construction industry. ABC of California supports ACR 23 and is currently working alongside its author, Assembly member Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton), to help change the conversation around suicide and suicide prevention.

On March 9, the U.S. House passed H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, by a vote of 225-206. Five Republicans joined Democrats in pushing this bill forward, while only one Democrat, Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), opposed the bill.

On March 10, House Democrats approved the $1.9 trillion spending package under budget reconciliation in a 220-211 vote, handing President Biden his first major legislative win in the new administration.

On March 2, ABC joined dozens of members of the Unlock American Investment Coalition in calling on Congress to improve and modernize the federal permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act.

On Feb. 17, President Biden rescinded the Trump Administration’s Executive Order 13801, which promoted industry-recognized apprenticeship programs, and expressed his support for the House-passed and ABC-opposed National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. ABC is working with lawmakers to reconsider these rulemakings and to advocate for an all-of-the-above workforce development strategy.

On Feb. 17, President Joe Biden nominated Jennifer Abruzzo as the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, the independent federal agency vested with the power to “safeguard employees' rights to organize and to determine whether to have unions as their bargaining representative.”

On Feb. 11, ABC, as a member of the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage (P4ESC) sent letters to President Joe Biden and Congress outlining policy principles and priorities important to ensuring employment-based health coverage continues to thrive for millions of hardworking Americans and their families.

On Feb. 4, ABC submitted a letter for the record to the U.S. House Committee on Small Business for its hearing, “State of the Small Business Economy in the Era of COVID-19,” to provides insight on the state of small construction businesses and the construction industry as a whole, nearly a year into the COVID-19 pa

On Feb. 4, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.

On Feb 2, the U.S. Senate confirmed Pete Buttigieg to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation by a vote of 86-13.  Secretary Buttigieg will be tasked with advancing President Joe Biden’s agenda in the Transportation Department, where he will oversee 55,000 employees. Secretary Buttigieg is expected to play an important role in promoting Biden’s sweeping environmental initiatives, and support the president’s push for an infrastructure plan.