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Browse by Date - 201911

CLC Volunteers From the Builders' Association in Kansans City, Missouri Upgrade Outdoor Residential Space for Friends of Johnson County Developmental Supports (JCDS)

CLC volunteers from the Builder’s Association in Kansas City, Missouri braved the humidity on Saturday, August 10, 2019, to transform the outdoor areas of an Overland Park Missouri residence into an attractive and welcoming landscape. The residence is owned and operated by Friends of JCDS (Johnson County Developmental Supports), Inc., a non-profit that provides affordable and accessible housing and other services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

NLRB Takes Commonsense Approach on Work Rules

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in LA Specialty Produce Company recently overturned an administrative law judge’s (ALJ) finding that an employer’s confidentiality rule and media rule violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Applying the balancing test articulated in its 2017 Boeing decision for the first time, the NLRB emphasized that a work rule is lawful if, when reasonably interpreted, it does not interfere with rights protected by the NLRA. The work rule must be considered in the context of its everyday application. Moreover, even if the rule in question might interfere with NLRA rights, the NLRB must weigh the impact of the rule on NLRA rights against the employer’s business justification for the rule. The rule is unlawful only if the adverse impact on NLRA rights outweighs the justification for the rule.

EPA Finalizes AGC-supported Addition of Aerosol Cans to the Universal Waste Regulations

<p>On Nov. 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized an AGC-supported <a href="https://www.epa.gov/hw/increasing-recycling-adding-aerosol-cans-universal-waste-regulations">rule</a> that expands universal waste regulations to include aerosol cans and streamlines the management of this waste. This measure should help construction firms maintain a lower-tier generator category, as aerosol cans are often the only hazardous waste stream produced on a construction site. This rule also promotes safe puncturing practices and recycling. EPA estimates it will reduce annual regulatory cost between $5.3 million to $47.8 million.</p>

House Passes Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension

On Nov. 19, the House passed AGC-backed legislation to reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) for seven years. With private insurers pulling out of the marketplace after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the inability of insurance policyholders to secure terrorism risk insurance contributed to a paralysis in the economy, especially in the construction and real estate finance sectors.

Senate Republicans Propose Multiemployer Pension Plan Reform Proposal

On Nov. 20,  Senate Republicans introduced an alternative for addressing the multiemployer pension plan crisis. This plan differs greatly from the House-passed Butch Lewis Act. While it makes positive structural reforms to the multiemployer pension plan system, it also raises questions on how it would impact plans and contributing employers.