Association Officials Urge Quick Enactment of Infrastructure Investment, Relief for Hard-Hit Firms and Pensions in Order to Save Jobs in Construction and Supplier Industries

On April 2, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued an “interim final rule” to the effect that business must have 500 or fewer employees and fall below the SBA’s small business size standards in order to qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program. Congress, however, declared that the program shall be open to all business that have 500 or fewer employees or fall below those standards. Over the weekend, AGC of America alerted the Trump Administration to the problem, and late last night the U.S. Department of Treasury released new guidance about the Paycheck Protection Program loans that includes the following:

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

Association Survey Conducted This Week Suggests Industry’s Job Losses are Spreading Rapidly; Officials Call for Additional Federal Measures to Help Avoid Further Layoffs and Economic Pain

Survey Finds Contractors Face Shortages of Materials and Workers, Delivery Delays and Cancellations; Association Officials Urge Additional Measures to Help Workers, Firms and the Economy to Recover

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, and the President of North America’s Building Trades Unions, Sean McGarvey, issued the following joint statement urging Government Officials to Exempt Construction Work from Regional, State and Local Work Shutdowns: