House Republican Leadership & Progressive Democrats Unite Against Bill

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the announcement today that the House Republican leadership will encourage its party members to vote against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill:

On Sept. 13, House Democrats released legislative text detailing significant tax increases to pay for their upwards of $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill. Those tax increases include but are not limited to: (1) increasing the top rate to 26.5% from 21% for corporations with incomes of $5 million; (2) creating a new 3% surtax on individuals/pass-through businesses with modified adjusted gross income exceeding $5 million; (3) increasing the top tax rate for pass-through businesses to 46.4 percent (39.6 percent top individual tax bracket + 3.8 percent net investment income tax (NIIT) + 3 percent surtax); (4) increasing the top capital gains rate to 31.8 percent (25 percent statutory rate + 3.8 percent NIIT + 3 percent surtax); and (5) capping the maximum Section 199A qualified business income deduction for high income individuals. The proposal also includes registered apprenticeship requirements, among other things, for entities to receive certain construction development tax incentives largely used in private construction markets. AGC opposes these proposals and will fight their enactment, as they would hinder economic recovery and growth.

Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.) Joins AGC for Tour

On August 24, the Federal Aviation Administration announced the award of $766 million in airport infrastructure grants to 279 airports as part of the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The AIP grant program awards billions of dollars each year for the planning and development of public-use airports across the country. As part of the AGC-supported fiscal year 2021 funding bill, the program received $3.75 billion in federal funding, $400M more than is authorized by the FAA Reauthorization Act. AGC applauds this funding announcement and will continue to support investment in our nation’s airport infrastructure. Click “learn more” to view the announcement and look at an interactive map of the projects awarded.

Please take a moment to participate in this important 811 Safety and Utility Damage Prevention Process Survey. Survey DEADLINE September 10. This survey is intended to document the experience in the 811 process of contractors that work on water/wastewater, highway heavy, building, telecom, and energy infrastructure projects. “As local, state and federal entities address issues, laws, and regulations associated with the 811 process, this survey will be an invaluable tool in helping to accurately convey the construction industry’s story in the process,” states Randy Douglas, AGC’s Utility Infrastructure Division Chair and President of Tierra Contracting, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA, “I encourage everyone to take it and share with your project managers, foreman, superintendents and fellow contractors.”

Set a Non-Binding Sept. 27 Deadline; Highway & Transit Programs Expire Sept. 30

Negotiations Underway to Determine What is Actually Included in the Bill