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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 Software To Achieve Your Safety Goals
OSHA Extends Comment Period on OSHA Walkaround Proposed Rule to Nov. 13
ABC Expresses Serious Concerns to Congress About OSHA Worker Walkaround Rule
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
ABC Congratulates 30 Members Awarded DOL’s 2023 HIRE Vets Medallion
ABC Honors 3 New Applicants With the AQC Credential in October
Graham Roofing Earns the AQC Credential in September
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
NLRB Extends Effective Date of the Joint Employer Final Rule to Feb. 26, 2024
DOL’s Unlawful Proposed Overtime Rule Will Disrupt Construction Workers’ Workplace Flexibility
ABC’s November Regulatory Roundup—Learn About the Latest Developments Affecting the Construction Industry
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 Jan. 22, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published new procedures for processing H-2B visa applications following this year’s significant increase in labor certification bids. Due to the spike in applications filed on Jan. 1, 2018, the DOL Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) will now process these applications in order of the time of day they were received to “better reflect the sequential order in which employers filed applications.” Previously, OFLC processed these applications irrespective of the time received and just focused on the date. The notice further states that “the overwhelming workload this year has strained OFLC’s processing system and resulted in delays for the majority of all applications filed on Jan. 1.” OFLC expects to process the first 2,400 of the 4,498 applications filed by next week, with the remaining applications processed in the weeks that follow. According to the notice “Employers receiving Notices of Acceptance can proceed to meet the additional regulatory requirements, including recruitment of U.S. workers and submission of recruitment reports. Employers receiving Notices of Deficiency that are corrected, and who then receive a Notice of Acceptance, can also proceed to meet the additional regulatory requirements.” The current cap on H-2B visas only allows for 66,000 visas in each fiscal year. ABC believes that further strides to simplify this process, in conjunction with an expansion of the cap, are necessary in order to make this program an effective tool in offsetting the growing workforce shortages in the U.S. construction industry.