Coronavirus - Advocacy Efforts

Latest Updates

May 14, 2020
On May 13, at the sustained urging of AGC, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Small Business Administration issued guidance to address their threats of auditing PPP loan borrowers for a failure to show good faith need for their loans. The new guidance provides a critical safe harbor… Read More
April 30, 2020
Earlier today, April 30, AGC’s CEO Steve Sandherr responded to NABTU's and CPWR's COVID-19 Standards for U.S. Construction Sites, which outlines minimum standards employers should implement as part of their COVID-19 exposure control plan on all jobsites.  
April 30, 2020
Survey Results Show More States are Delaying Projects due to Lost Revenue On April 29, AGC CEO Steve Sandherr joined other key transportation construction stakeholders in briefing Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason on the impacts of COVID-19 on… Read More
April 30, 2020
On April 28, AGC helped facilitate a meeting with President Trump for AGC member Ali Mills from Plum Contracting, a member through the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania Chapter. During that visit, Ali got to tell her story about how the Paycheck Protection Program loans helped her… Read More
April 23, 2020
On April 21, the Senate passed a $480 billion coronavirus relief package that included $310 billion in new funding for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The House of Representatives is expected to pass this measure overwhelmingly when they meet… Read More
April 23, 2020
New guidance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of the Treasury puts Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) borrowers and potential borrowers on notice that they should be able to prove in “good faith” that “[c]urrent economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary… Read More
April 16, 2020
Today, our host Leah Pilconis talks with Cory Gattie about how AGC of America is making infrastructure a key part of our economic recovery suggestions as we work with Congress and the Trump administration to rebuild the economy. Leah also talks with AGC’s Brynn Huneke about how the association’s… Read More
April 16, 2020
Tell the Trump Administration and Congress to include immediate funding for state departments of transportation (DOTs) in future COVID-19 relief legislation! Thousands of construction jobs may be on the line if they do not act soon. Due to the unprecedented impact of the pandemic, state DOTs are… Read More
April 10, 2020
On April 10, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued temporary guidance for recording cases of COVID-19 that provides relief to the construction industry. In an earlier letter to OSHA leadership, AGC, along with our industry partners on the Construction… Read More
April 8, 2020
Tell the Trump Administration and Congress to add more funding to and simplify the eligibility requirements for the Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs so construction firms and their employees can get needed coronavirus relief as soon as possible.  The chaotic stream of… Read More
April 7, 2020
Associated General Contractors of America Secures Fix to Loan Qualifications After Alerting Administration Officials to Small Business Administration Language that Excluded Many Firms The Associated General Contractors of America today announced that the Trump administration released new guidance… Read More
April 6, 2020
Construction Officials Urge Agency to Make Clear that Firms that Employ 500 or Fewer People to Qualify for Paycheck Protection Program Loans, Regardless of Revenue The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, called on the Small Business… Read More
March 30, 2020
Based on member inquiries, AGC updated our CARES Act analysis as it applies to small business eligibility for the new Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program. Those changes are noted below. A business is eligible for such a loan if it employs 500 employees or fewer, or if the… Read More
March 28, 2020
Construction Officials Say New Federal Guidance Should Signal to State and Local Officials the Need to Allow Construction Activity to Continue, or Resume, During Coronavirus-Related Work Stoppages The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr,… Read More
March 27, 2020
AGC of America’s government relations team has combed through the details of the coronavirus relief bill set for passage in the House. They provided this initial analysis of what is in the bill and how it will impact the construction industry. We will, of course, share even more details… Read More
March 26, 2020
On March 25, AGC called on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, to issue a revision to recent COVID-19 related guidance that will explicitly include all construction workers as “Essential Critical Infrastructure… Read More
March 24, 2020
USACE, GSA, and others provide guidance and planning for potential contract impacts due COVID-19. AGC of America Letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regarding COVID-19  USACE - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers response to AGC of America  Army - Department of the Army… Read More
March 23, 2020
AGC, along with our industry partners on the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC), is pushing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to re-evaluate its decision to treat cases of employees contracting COVID-19 as … Read More
March 21, 2020
The Senate could vote on a new $2 TRILLON+ COVID-19 relief package shortly. Negotiations are extremely fluid. On March 20, AGC of America shared it’s priorities and policy proposals in a letter to all members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and received confirmation from… Read More
March 21, 2020
The federal government recently released a list detailing “critical infrastructure industries” whose workers are “essential” and should continue normal work schedules. Although the document lists industries for which construction is absolutely critical, our industry was not… Read More
March 17, 2020
Construction Firms Are Already Taking Steps to Protect Employees, Most of Whom Already Wear Protective Equipment, While Halting Work Will Undermine Efforts to Add Hospital Capacity The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the… Read More
March 16, 2020
In a March 16, 2020 letter to the Senate, AGC stressed the need to address the 14 weeks of employer-fronted paid leave mandated under the House-passed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and to offer workable solutions. AGC cannot support a Senate product that includes this… Read More
March 16, 2020
On March 10, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provided guidance requiring the recording and reporting of workplace exposures to COVID-19. The guidance, while well intended, did not consider all of the potential negative impacts on the regulated community. On March 12, AGC of… Read More