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The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2015 (H.R. 427) July 28. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and was cosponsored by an additional 171 representatives. 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Act of 2015 (H.R.1734) July 22. The bill was sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-W. Va.) and was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 44 representatives. 

This fall, ABC is bringing back its annual Construction Management Career fair Nov. 11 in San Diego, where ABC members will have the opportunity to recruit from some of the leading construction management programs from around the country. 

Through Project Virtual Marketplace, ABC’s exclusive program for BIM products and services, ABC members have access to four new programs that help businesses find BIM solutions.  

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released new guidance July 15 related to employers’ use of independent contractors. In the Administrator’s Interpretation and an accompanying blog post, Wage and Hour Division Administrator Dr. David Weil laments the “problematic trend” of deliberate misclassification, and considers the guidance part of a “multi-pronged approach” to combat the phenomenon.

Republican leaders of three congressional committees sent a letter July 15 to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council, and other Obama administration officials, requesting that the proposed guidance and regulations for the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673 (known as the Blacklisting EO) be withdrawn. This letter was sent a few days after the DOL and the FAR Council announced a two-week extension of the notice and comment period for the Blacklisting proposal to August 11.  

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released an interpretation letter July 6 which states that the use of kinesiology tape to treat a work-related injury no longer needs to be recorded as medical treatment.

No matter what position you’re in, or how many years of experience you have, there’s always something new to learn to make you the best leader you can be. ABC’s Leadership Week, which will be held Nov. 8-12 in San Diego, Calif., will provide a variety of opportunities for current and emerging leaders to grow both professionally and personally. 

ABC will bring together construction users and contractors Oct. 8-9 to discuss the industry’s safety, quality and workforce issues during its third annual Users Summit in St. Pete, Fla. This exclusive event is limited to 150 participants and includes a mix of users and chief executives and senior management from ABC contractor members in the health care and industrial markets.

Every person working on a construction project deserves to work under a fair contract where their interests are represented early on and risk is fairly allocated to help reduce costs. Whether working at the office or from the road, the ConsensusDocs platform provides instant access to your contract documents, a personalized dashboard and an easy-to-use system to locate recent projects, edit contracts, review changes, or start a new contract. ABC member, Carole Bionda, past ABC National Chair, and Vice President and General Counsel for Nova Group, Inc., explains why she chose to use ConsensusDocs and how it has helped her business.

ABC members have more time to respond to a proposal implementing President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, known as the “blacklisting” EO, signed July 31, 2014. The public comment deadline for a proposed rulemaking issued May 28, by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council and proposed guidance by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implementing the blacklisting EO has been extended from July 27 to August 11.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced July 9 a 60-day temporary enforcement policy of its Confined Spaces in Construction standard, effective Aug. 3. The announcement postpones full enforcement of the new standard to Oct. 2 in order to allow for additional time to train and acquire the equipment necessary to comply with the new rule.

The way you buy your Autodesk software is changing. After Jan. 31, 2016, new perpetual licenses of most individual Autodesk® software will no longer be available for purchase.

During a controversial budget session, Wisconsin significantly reformed its prevailing wage laws with the help of the ABC Wisconsin Chapter which organized a coalition of local chambers of commerce, school districts, small businesses, and municipal utilities to repeal prevailing wage requirements on all Wisconsin public works projects except those built by the state of Wisconsin and state highway projects. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have issued two surveys soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of project labor agreements (PLA) on projects in Missouri and Texas.

United Group Services, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a member of ABC’s Ohio Valley chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.  

President Obama’s Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673, known as the “blacklisting” EO, was signed July 31, 2014. A proposed rulemaking issued May 28, by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council and proposed guidance by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implementing the blacklisting EO is open for public comment until July 27.

In front of a sold-out crowd of more than 41,000 people, the 2015 National Craft Champions stood on the Washington Nationals field July 3 and were honored for their hard work as trained craftsmen. The crowd cheered them on while the ABC logo spread across the stadium, showcasing the theme of the night—free enterprise and freedom.

At the direction of President Obama, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed rule on June 30, that would change federal overtime exemptions for administrative, executive, professional, and computer professional employees—the so-called "white collar" worker classifications that have long been exempt from being paid time-and-one-half for working hours over 40 per week.  

More than 400 ABC members came to Capitol Hill June 23-26 for ABC's 2015 Legislative Conference. The week kicked off with the first annual Diversity & Inclusion Summit, which featured a lively discussion about supplier diversity within the construction industry. The event also included a Legislative Breakfast, which featured a panel discussion on key issues facing the industry and a day on the Hill where ABC members had the chance to meet with their representatives in the House and the Senate.

Associated Builders and Contractors of West Virginia (ABCWV) voiced its concerns over the newly presented methodology for the calculation of prevailing wage rates in West Virginia after Workforce West Virginia released a summary of its report on June 1. The report, a product of prevailing wage reform legislation (S.B. 361) signed  March 12 by West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D), illustrates how new methodology will determine  forthcoming prevailing wage rates on state-funded public improvements.  However, because Workforce West Virginia failed to publish its new prevailing wage calculations by the July 1 deadline because lawmakers complained t

ABC launched two new discount programs July 1 that are available to both ABC members and their employees. The programs include discounts with AutoZone and a new portal, ABC Marketplace, which provides discounts on everyday purchases with more than 20,000 retailers.

What's your best strategy or tool for delivering construction projects on, or under, budget? Send your 200-word response to Construction Executive to be featured in the magazine's September Viewpoints Q&A section or on ConstructionExec.com.