On May 18, AGC held the second joint meeting with representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force, Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, who have formed a special Tri-Service working group on creating an evaluation factor for Total Ownership Costs (TOC) of certain types of facility construction. 

This week, nearly 500 people will gather in Washington, D.C., to promote enactment of a multiyear highway and transit authorization.

The budget and the deficit continue to dominate discussions in Washington, D.C.  Although this week did not see any significant progress in addressing either the budget or the deficit, it didn’t lack for news on the respective fronts. 

The House cosponsor number has grown from 36 during the week of the AGC convention to 116 this week.  The most recent additions to the House cosponsor list are the following members:

Attention remains focused on the complaint by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with regard to Boeing’s South Carolina Dreamliner plant. The complaint claims that Boeing violated federal labor law by building this plant in retaliation against past strikes by the unions.  Boeing disputes this claim.

On May 19, 2011, AGC sent a letter to the Omaha District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers providing comment on their solicitation regarding the potential use of project labor agreements (PLA) on large-scale construction projects (exceeding $25 million) within the Omaha/Lincoln Metro area.

Rep. Pascrell (right) demonstrates the consequences of deferred water infrastructure maintenance with Sen. Menendez (left) and N.J. State Assemblyman Thomas Giblin (center). The AGC-supported Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2011 was recently introduced in the House and Senate. It would remove water and wastewater from under the private activity bond (PAB) volume cap, making it easier for up to $5 billion to be invested in water infrastructure annually.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel filed a complaint April 20 against Boeing, claiming that Boeing violated federal labor law by building a second production line for its Dreamliner at a non-union factory in South Carolina in retaliation against past strikes by the unions. 

While recognizing the need for spending reforms, AGC joined a large group of companies and associations urging action to increase the nation's statutory debt limit. 

With fiscal year 2011 funding in place, the House of Representatives has started the FY 2012 in earnest by announcing a schedule for marking up the annual appropriations bills, as well as plans for how House Budget Resolution spending totals will be divided between the twelve Appropriations Subcommittees.