The National Labor Relations Board (“Board” or “NLRB”) has issued a final rule revising union representation case procedures to unions’ advantage.  As anticipated, the final rule is nearly identical to proposed rules issued in February 2014 and in June 2011.  The rule is published in the Dec. 15, 2014, issue of the Federal Register and is due to take effect on April 14, 2015.  AGC and AGC-supported coalitions opposed the rulemaking and are exploring efforts to block implementation.

Passage Expected in Senate This afternoon, the House of Representatives passed a $1.1 trillion funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2015 by a vote of 219-206.  The bill funds most of the government through September 2015.  The House will also takes steps to allow the Senate time to vote while avoiding a government shutdown at midnight tonight.  In addition to funding the government, the bill included many policy riders. 

The House passed H.R. 5771, the “Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014” (tax extenders) legislation last week by a vote of 378-46. The Senate is expected to attach the tax extenders on to the $1.1 trillion funding bill. The legislative tactic would curtail any potential “holds” by senators. This week, Senator Coburn (R-Okla.) threatened to put a hold on the stand-alone $41.6 billion tax extenders bill.

On the last official legislative day in the House, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) officially introduced H.R. 1, the “Tax Reform Act of 2014.”  This proposal formalizes the tax reform discussion draft released on Feb. 26, 2014, without modifications. “I hope that the formal introduction of this proposal in the House today will help spur further action on this critical issue in the 114th Congress,” Chairman Camp said in his statement.

The Senate is expected to take up and approve S. 2244, the “Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act” (TRIA) which passed the House on Wednesday by a 417-7 vote. The TRIA bill would:

Design-Build and Reverse Auction Reforms Pass House & Senate On Dec. 12, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (NDAA) bill, which includes AGC-supported provisions on design-build and reverse auction procurement reform impacting Department of Defense construction contractors. The House passed the same NDAA bill last week and it now moves to President Obama for his signature into law, which is expected.

The Louisiana run-offs were held Saturday and, as expected, three-term Senator Mary Landrieu (D) lost a landslide re-election bid. With just under 1.3 million people participating, Rep. Bill Cassidy (R) claimed a 56-44 percent victory margin.

Ask Your Reps to Sign Letter through Hardhats for Highways Although a gas tax increase in the lame duck was declared dead this week by Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), there was some positive news with four members of the House circulating a bipartisan letter in support of transportation funding. 

Design-Build and Reverse Auction Reforms Move Forward On Dec. 2, the House and Senate Armed Services released the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (NDAA) bill, which includes AGC-supported provisions on design-build and reverse auction procurement reform impacting Department of Defense construction contractors.  The bill was considered by the House yesterday and is expected to be considered by the Senate later this week or early next week. Reports indicate that this bill will likely be enacted before Congress adjourns this year.

On Wednesday, the House approved H.R. 5771, the “Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014,” by a 378 – 46 vote. The $41.6 billion tax extenders legislation restored approximately 52 expired tax provisions for fiscal year 2014, including nine AGC tax priorities (i.e. 179 expensing, bonus depreciation, R&D).