TEST Paragraph
Politics & Policy
US House Introduces Resolution Opposing DOL’s New Davis-Bacon Rule
ABC Slams OSHA’s Worker Walkaround Rule for Failing To Promote Workplace Health and Safety
State Off-Year Elections Deliver Losses To GOP Heading Into 2024
Safety
Utilize Resources and Trailing Indicators to Review and Improve Safety
Utilize Software To Achieve Your Safety Goals
OSHA Extends Comment Period on OSHA Walkaround Proposed Rule to Nov. 13
Events/Products/Programs
Nearly 350 ABC Leaders Gather in Washington for Annual Legislative Conference
ABC Members Rank Among ENR’s Top 400 Contractors
Trades Day: Industry Outreach Opportunity With Meaning
State/Local News
Ed Capodanno Honored by Delaware State Legislature
Election Update: ABC Staff and Members Elected in 2022
California Targets Workplace Cannabis Testing
Awards
Ben Houston Honored With Life Member Award
ABC Congratulates 30 Members Awarded DOL’s 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion
ABC Honors 3 New Applicants With the AQC Credential in October
Legislation
ABC-Supported Legislation To Overturn the Northern Long-Eared Bat’s Endangered Species Listing Heads to President Biden’s Desk
ABC Advocates for Solutions to Workforce Shortage at U.S. House Committee Roundtable
Smucker Introduces the ABC-Supported Main Street Tax Certainty Act
Regulations
ABC’s December Regulatory Roundup—Learn About the Latest Developments Affecting the Construction Industry
Reports: Zero Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Built Under NEVI Program Requiring Union Labor
FHWA Releases Final Rule on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Workforce Development
Register Now for ABC’s Construction Inclusion Week Webinar Series
DOL High Road Workforce Development Program Map Snubs Nonunion Programs
LISTEN: How to Design an Effective Technology Adoption Strategy
On April 7, Arkansas Gov.Asa Hutchinson signed a bill repealing the state’s prevailing wage law. The legislation, SB 601 (Act 1068), was approved by the Arkansas House of Representatives on March 30 by a vote of 70-24; the Arkansas Senate passed the bill on March 21 by a bipartisan vote of 28-5. Arkansas is now the 22nd state without a prevailing wage and the second state to take significant action on the issue this year. Kentucky signed a prevailing wage repeal bill into law in January. In 2015, Nevada made significant reforms to its prevailing wage law, while Indiana and West Virginia joined the list of states without a prevailing wage. “Arkansas lawmakers have made it a priority to create value for taxpayers and opportunities for qualified local contractors deterred by the state's outdated prevailing wage regulations,” said ABC Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck. “The number of states choosing to do away with costly and archaic prevailing wage requirements continues to grow and ABC looks forward to supporting efforts to repeal or reform inefficient prevailing wage laws in Ohio, nearby Missouri and other states across the country this year.” ABC released its latest Merit Shop Scorecard rankings in November 2016. The meritshopscorecard.org website reviews and grades state-specific policies and information significant to the success of the commercial and industrial construction industry. The scorecard grades states on their policies on prevailing wage and project labor agreement (PLA) mandates and Right to Work status, as well as their construction job growth rate, commitment to developing a well-trained workforce, career and technical education (CTE) opportunities and results, and use of public-private partnerships (P3s). Plagued in part by its prevailing wage, Arkansas’ business environment ranked 20th in the country. ABC opposes wasteful prevailing wage laws because they contain outdated job restrictions that do not match the needs of today’s competitive construction business environment. Prevailing wage requirements discourage many qualified small and minority-owned contractors from bidding on public projects. State governments’ complex and inefficient wage rate determinations and work restrictions make it difficult for them to compete with better capitalized corporations. Studies have shown that state prevailing wage laws can needlessly inflate construction costs by as much as 38 percent.