The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently revised the schedule for its safety manual revision—called EM 385-1-1, 2008—to allow for more time for comments from industry stakeholders. AGC will work to provide opportunities for contractors to meet via conference call and/or face-to-face with the USACE on this revision at given points throughout the process. To make a comments on the first draft, click here.
Held on Oct. 24-26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nev. and jointly sponsored by AGC and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), the 16th Annual AGC/CFMA Construction Financial Management Conference offers programs and workshops designed specifically for financial professionals in the construction industry.
This week, over 130 contractors traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the 2012 AGC Safety and Health Committee Meeting. In addition to the networking opportunities and forums with federal agencies, attendees received updates on legislative issues that directly affect the safety and health professionals in the construction industry. Attendees were also able to schedule visits with their congressional delegations.
On July 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the repeal of the Obamacare Act (H.R. 6079) with bipartisan support which would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), but will not receive a vote in the senate. The vote was the thirty-third time the House has voted to repeal all or a part of the health care bill.
On July 12, the House Agriculture Committee approved a farm bill that would authorize $85 million a year through FY 2017 for the Small Watershed Rehabilitation (SWR) program, the nation’s only dam rehabilitation program. This program assists local communities with improving aging flood control dams, thereby helping to address public health and safety needs before a tragic dam failure occurs.
Prior to the July 4 recess, the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee passed legislation – H.R. 4631, “The GSA Act of 2012” – redressing the proposal that would severely restrict federal agency participation in conferences hosted by private organizations. Working with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), AGC was the only other organization in the room to meet with House Oversight & Government Reform Committee and House leadership concerning this issue.
At a White House Rose Garden ceremony on Friday, July 6, President Obama will sign the Moving Ahead for the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). Congress passed the transportation reauthorization legislation just in time to beat the June 30, 2012, expiration date. A one week extension (the tenth of its kind) was also approved to allow time for the legislation to be filed in the proper format.
AGC’s premier meeting for safety and health professionals will take place July 11-13, 2012, in Washington, D.C. Attendees will participate in visits to their members of Congress on the hill to discuss key legislative safety and health issues.
The General Services Administration (GSA) recently announced that it is moving the implementation date of the System for Award Management (SAM)—the federal government’s new registration system-- from May 29, 2012, to the end of July 2012. According to GSA, the additional time “will allow federal agencies to continue preparing their staff, give agencies and commercial system providers even more time to test their data transfer connections, and will ensure SAM contains the critical, documented capabilities users need from the system.”
In response to the Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proposed major changes to the rules governing federal contractor affirmative action programs (AAP) for covered veterans ("Section 4212") and individuals with disabilities ("Section 503"), AGC has completed an analysis of the rule’s true financial and administrative burden for federal construction contractors.