Supports Increased Investment in Lock & Dam Infrastructure On Dec. 3, the House of Representatives passed a provision that would increase a fuel tax that benefits inland waterway lock and dam construction and maintenance projects. The provision would raise the fuel tax from 20 cents to 29 cents per gallon on barges using the inland waterway system.  This excise tax revenue is deposited into the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The tax increase would be effective for fuel used after April 1, 2015.

On Dec. 3, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced final regulations implementing Executive Order 13672 (EO).  The EO prohibits federal contractors with contracts of $10,000 or more, and their subcontractors, from engaging in employment discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation or gender identity. The final rule will take effect 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register and will apply to federal contracts entered into or modified on or after that date.

Three congressional races will be decided in Louisiana this Saturday. Voters head back to the polls because the state employs the jungle primary system. On Nov. 4, all candidates appeared on the same primary ballot regardless of political party affiliation. Since no candidate in three races received an outright majority of the vote, no one was elected. As a result, the top two finishers in each race now advance to a final run-off election.

On Tuesday, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced that he would not seek the presidency in 2016, and will instead run for re-election.

Take the Survey Today Each year around this time, AGC asks you – our members – to predict what next year will be like for your business.  Questions focus on expectations for market performance, hiring, labor market conditions, plans to acquire equipment, etc.  Please take a moment to complete the survey here. We will spend the rest of November and the better part of December asking members to complete the survey.  After that we will work with AGC’s chief economist Ken Simonson to analyze the results, which we will release in early January to the media and members. As in the past, we will also prepare state-specific outlooks for every state where we have a sufficiently robust response. 

After years of delay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Nov. 26 that it is proposing to strengthen the federal ozone air quality standards to within a range of 65 to 70 parts per billion (ppb), while taking comment on a level as low as 60 ppb. The current ozone standard, set in 2008, is at 75 ppb.

For over a decade, when the Bush Administration began its push for immigration reform, through today, AGC has supported comprehensive immigration reform.  That support included an endorsement of the bipartisan immigration package that passed the Senate in 2013. 

AGC was invited to participate in a stakeholders meeting this week called by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to look into questions about the effectiveness of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. The meeting was held in response to a DOT Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) report critical of the success of the program over its 30-year history. The OIG report said state DOTs, which are charged with administering the program, are focused on certifying firms for inclusion in the program, but not their success once in the program. OIG noted that only a small percentage of the certified firms actually participate and that those few firms have been in the program for ten years or more. DOT was interested in hearing from stakeholders about how this outcome could be improved.

Nov. 5-7, 2014 | Las Vegas. Nev.  Jointly sponsored by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), the AGC/CFMA Construction Financial Management Conference, held Nov. 5-7, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nev., was developed in response to a need for programs and workshops designed specifically for financial professionals in the construction industry. The three-day conference is filled with 36 interactive sessions, covering the latest industry issues and their financial implications. Sessions are delivered “group-live” and are at intermediate, overview and update program levels. There are no prerequisites or advanced preparation required. Information about the conference can be found at meetings.agc.org/agc_cfma. 

There are only 18 days until Election Day.  With more than 6 million individuals working in construction, our industry has a tremendous opportunity to impact this election. To be successful, it is critical you encourage your colleagues, family and friends to register to vote, and then cast a ballot on or before November 4.