On February 10, the House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation, as part of the broader Biden Administration COVID-relief legislation, that would extend the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) through December 31, 2021. Previously, AGC supported the expansion and extension of the ERTC in the end-of-year (2020) COVID relief bill, which boosted the credit for eligible employers from $5,000 per year to $7,000 per quarter and extended its availability through June 31, 2021. The Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress have made it a priority to pass further COVID relief before enhanced unemployment benefits expire on March 14. AGC anticipates this provision to be included in any final package.

On February 10, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved its portion of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill. The legislation would provide $30 billion to public transit programs, $8 billion to airports and $1.5 billion to Amtrak. The vast majority of those funds would go to maintaining existing operations. However, the Federal Transit Administration’s capital investment grants programs would receive $1.25 billion ($1 billion for New Starts and Core Capacity program and 250 million for Small Starts program) and $608 million would be allocated to airport development projects. While some have pointed to the $350 billion allotted for state and local governments in the president’s COVID-relief bill as a possible way to help fund new construction investment projects, how exactly that funding is spent appears likely to be left to state and local governments to decide. At a minimum, that funding could help prevent public owners from delaying or canceling construction projects.

Webinar Playback and Q&A Document Now Available

Newly Introduced PRO Act and Congressional Efforts to Discriminate Against Certain Construction Training Programs Likely to Disrupt Ongoing Projects and Undermine Efforts to Prepare New Workers

On Feb. 3, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing for Michael Regan on his nomination for Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

On February 2, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Pete Buttigieg to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) by an 86-13 vote. Buttigieg officially took the helm of the Department upon his swearing in by Vice President Kamala Harris on February 3. During his January 21 hearing, he affirmed his commitment to the Biden Administration’s plans to prioritize rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure. Ahead of the hearing, AGC stated its support for Buttigieg’s confirmation and called on the committee to expeditiously advance his nomination. AGC looks forward to working with Secretary Buttigieg to address the vital needs of our nation’s infrastructure.

AGC concerned not all registered apprenticeship programs eligible for benefits

The AGC Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA), sponsored by Willis Towers Watson, is the industry’s elite safety excellence awards program. The CSEA recognizes companies that have developed and implemented premier safety and risk control programs and showcases companies that have achieved continuous improvement and maintenance of their safety and health management systems. Don’t miss this opportunity to be recognized for your best-in-class safety program! For more information on the CSEA program, please visit www.agc.org/csea. The deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday, March 31, 2021.

Measure Denies Workers Absolute Right to Secret and Fair Union Elections, Forces Them to Become the Victims of Union Disputes, Will Unleash Strikes and Disruptions that Will Kill Jobs, Hurt Recovery

AGC is requesting presentation proposals covering construction safety and health issues as well as those cross-over topics that would appeal to a broader audience of Safety, Health & Environmental (SH&E) professionals; for example leadership, management, training, general technologies, or risk and crisis management that use a mix of safety and health and environmental examples. The conference addresses the most critical safety, health and environmental issues impacting the business of construction, provides management guidance for professionals, and gives context for other construction professionals looking to understand the key concepts and round out their knowledge. For more information on speaker expectations, important deadlines, and how to submit your proposal, click here.