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On Oct. 26, ABC submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule revising its interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

On Oct. 27, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan attended the grand opening of ABC Greater Baltimore Chapter’s new Construction Education Academy, located at a Project C.O.R.E site in East Baltimore. This new state-of-the-art facility will house the largest concentration of building trade apprenticeship programs in the state, enabling ABC Greater Baltimore to train up to 5,000 skilled workers each year, doubling their current capacity.

On Oct. 26,the Senate confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States by a 52-48 vote, with all Senate Democrats and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voting no. After the confirmation vote, Judge Barrett was sworn in at a ceremony on the White House lawn by Justice Clarence Thomas.

The ABC Pelican Chapter recently held a fundraiser to help staff affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Through the sales of “Louisiana Strong” shirts and cash donations from members, families and other nearby ABC chapters, the ABC Pelican chapter raised nearly $10,000.

On Oct. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a set of Frequently Asked Questions on the effectiveness of N95 respirators against coronavirus exposure as part of the agency’s COVID-19 FAQs page.

On Oct. 8, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department,  released a simpler loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program loans of $50,000 or less. This action streamlines the PPP forgiveness process to provide financial and administrative relief to America’s smallest businesses while also ensuring sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service announced an Apprenticeship Pilot Program that will identify, track and increase the number of transitioning service members and their spouses hired into registered apprenticeship programs prior to separation from the military. The pilot will run from 2020 through early 2021 and will take place at eight military installations across the United States that were chosen in collaboration with the Department of Defense.

Hourigan of Richmond, Virginia, a member of ABC’s Virginia Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor status by ABC. The AQC program recognizes and honors construction firms that document their commitment to excellence in five key areas of corporate responsibility: quality, safety, craft and management education, talent management and diversity and community relations.

On Oct. 13, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards issued a proposed rule to provide additional information to labor organization members and the public about the financial activities of labor organizations under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959.

On this week’s episode of “The Bottom Line With ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu,” get insights on construction backlog, which fell to 7.5 months in September, a decline of 0.5 months from August’s reading. The Construction Confidence Index, however, does provide some reasons to remain optimistic.

On Sept. 28,  the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs issued a press release stating it launched a hotline and email address to receive and investigate complaints under existing Executive Order 11246 as well as Executive Order 13950, Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, issued on Sept. 22 by President Trump.

ABC has announced the winners of the 2019 Association Excellence Awards, which annually recognizes chapter achievements in membership growth and retention, STEP participation and more. The CEO Award, which recognizes top performance in progress towards strategic goals and balanced scorecard metrics, went to the ABC Pelican Chapter.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, ABC will continue its Election Briefing Series with an exclusive update for the Mountain West and Pacific regions.  It will be followed by a national update from and the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Thursday, Oct. 22.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued new frequently asked questions and answers regarding the need to report employees’ in-patient hospitalizations and fatalities re

ABC’s Chief Economist Anirban Basu reports on construction employment, which added 26,000 jobs on net in September, according to an ABC analysis of data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.