Wednesday, February 3, 2021 2:44 PM |
ABC News
On Friday, Jan. 29, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace,” which provides updated guidance and recommendations and outlines existing safety and health standards.
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To begin a dialogue with the Biden Administration, ABC has sent a letter expressing our intentions to advance policies that keep workplaces safe and healthy, rebuild America’s infrastructure, create jobs for all Americans and help the U.S. economy continue to rebound from the COVID-19 crisis.
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On Jan. 20, President Biden issued Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, which revoked EO 13950 issued by former President Trump regarding race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating in the workplace.
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ABC PAC has raised $83,000 in two weeks, which includes twelve max-out contributions of $5,000. Over the 2021-2022 election cycle, ABC PAC is tasked with raising $1,800,000.
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Following the inaugural ceremonies for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the president is set to implement 17 executive actions through executive orders, presidential memos and agency directives, affecting a range of federal policies, including immigration, economic relief, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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On Jan. 15, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration issued its final rule amending the agency's 2016 final rule to allow the operation of small unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, at night and over people under certain conditions without obtaining a waiver.
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On Jan. 13, one day after the U.S. House approved a largely symbolic resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump following last week's deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, the president was impeached for a second time by a vote of 232-197 (5 not voting), a first in the country’s 244-year history.
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Following the approval of an additional $284 billion in funds for the Paycheck Protection Program in December, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, has reopened the PPP for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers.
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Democratic U.S. Senate Candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have been declared winners of the two Georgia runoff elections held on Jan. 5. The Democratic wins in the two runoff campaigns, made necessary under Georgia election law that requires majority support to win office, will effectively clinch the narrowest possible majority for Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
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To show we are staying safe on jobsites and reducing the spread of the coronavirus, ABC, the National Association of Home Builders and other construction organizations are hosting a COVID-19 Safety Stand Down from Jan. 11-15, with ABC members targeting Thursday, Jan. 14 for member activities.
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On Dec. 14, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued two All Agency Memoranda, AAM 235 and AAM 236, with revisions to certain DOL wage determinations for federal contractors under the Davis-Bacon Act.
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On Dec. 23, ABC and several other organizations submitted comments in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposed revisions to its regulations implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Protection Act. These revisions will reflect recent legislation, modernize the environmental review process, improve DOT’s NEPA review efficiency and provide enhanced customer service to stakeholders while ensuring meaningful public involvement.
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On Dec. 31, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued additional guidance to address whether workers who did not use their leave entitlement under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in 2020 may use such leave after Dec. 31, 2020. The FFCRA’s paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements expired on Dec. 31.
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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will begin collecting calendar year 2020 Form 300A data on Jan. 2. Establishments such as those in the construction and transportation industry must submit the Form 300A data electronically by March 2, 2021.
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The Accredited Quality Contractor 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.
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On Dec. 11, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs issued Directive 2021-02 to provide clear and specific guidelines to OFCCP staff and/or federal contractors on enforcement and compliance policy or procedures.
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On Dec. 14, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed rule providing 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.
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On Dec. 9, the Small Business Administration published FAQ Number 53, addressing why certain borrowers will receive Paycheck Protection Program Loan Necessity Questionnaires. The SBA also publicly released for-profit and nonprofit questionnaires.
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ABC National is looking for virtual volunteers to participate in a member-to-member get out the vote phone tree. This election is all about turnout and we need your help to get the message to members in Georgia. Sign up to volunteer!
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ABC Indiana/Kentucky chapter took a unique approach to combat issues created by COVID-19 and lockdowns. The ABC Electrical Apprenticeship Learning Portal webpage was created for electrical apprentices—allowing them to submit classwork, training hours and even view recorded lessons.
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ABC has been working with Congress, administration officials and business coalitions to support critical priorities in any relief deals that will ensure the construction industry is able to survive, thrive and recover from this pandemic.
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Of the nation's top 20 contractors, 17 are ABC members, according to Building Design + Construction’s recently published list of Top 135 Contractors for 2020. These contractors were ranked based on their 2019 revenue.
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ABC reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 7.2 months in November, a decrease of 0.5 months from October’s reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Nov. 20 to Dec. 2. Backlog is 1.7 months lower than in November 2019.
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On Nov. 17, The Construction Users Roundtable announced the winners of its Construction Industry Safety Excellence Awards. The following ABC members received CURT awards based on their dedication to world-class safety performance.
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On this week’s episode of “The Bottom Line With ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu,” get insights on the nonresidential construction spending, which was virtually unchanged in October, according to an ABC analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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On Nov. 16, ABC submitted comments as part of the Waters Advocacy Coalition to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Army Corps of Engineers on its proposal to reissue and revise the agency’s nationwide permits under the Clean Water Act. WAC expressed support for the proposed rule, which would continue to carry out Congress’ intent to allow more streamlined permitting for activities that have minimal adverse environmental effects and encouraged the Corps to ensure consistency with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the final rulemaking.
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On Nov. 9, the U.S. Treasury issued a proposed regulation on state and local income taxes imposed on and paid by a partnership or S corporation on its income. The rule would allow states to permit individually and family-owned business to continue to deduct state and local taxes, just like larger corporations can. This would be an important win for smaller businesses and a significant incentive for more states to provide this critical tax relief.
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On Nov. 4, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a new guidance document on ventilation in the workplace. OSHA recommends, “Employers should work with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning professional to consider steps to optimize building ventilation. An HVAC professional can ensure that the ventilation system is operating as intended.”
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While major news networks have declared former Vice President Joe Biden president-elect, President Trump’s campaign has launched investigations into allegations of wrongdoing in several states while pursuing recounts in states where the margin of victory allows. Georgia has already ordered a hand recount of its 5 million ballots, while most states hope to certify their elections in late November and early December.
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While a handful of U.S. Senate, House and state legislative races from the 2020 elections remain uncalled, voters in a handful of states made some significant policy changes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, through the ballot initiative and referendum processes. Many of these affect the construction industry, including changing the minimum wage, legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana, paid family and medical leave and more.
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On this week’s episode of “The Bottom Line With ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu,” get insights on the Construction Backlog Indicator, which rebounded to 7.7 months in October, an increase of 0.2 months from September’s reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5. Backlog is 1.2 months lower than in October 2019.
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The big story of the night is that we do not have a winner in the presidential election yet with Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania and too close or too early to call at this time, while projected contests in Wisconsin and Arizona seem to favor Vice President Joe Biden, which would give him a 248-214 lead in the race towards the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency.
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On Oct. 29, the Construction Industry Safety Coalition released an updated COVID-19 Prevention, Preparedness and Response Plan for Construction. The plan outlines the steps that construction employers and employees can take to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. The new revision to the plan relates to the section on “Employee Has Close Contact With a Tested Positive COVID-19 Individual” and new guidance from the CDC on “close contact.”
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On Nov. 3, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued two opinion letters addressing specific compliance issues related to compensability of time under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The DOL encourages the public to submit requests for opinion letters to WHD to obtain an opinion or to determine whether existing guidance already addresses their questions.
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On this week’s episode of “The Bottom Line With ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu,” get insights on the latest GPD growth and nonresidential construction spending.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 resulting from work-related cases of the coronavirus. The FAQs help employers apply the agency’s existing injury and illness recording and reporting requirements to COVID-19.
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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.
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