Take Action: Urge Your Senators to Prohibit Construction Reverse Auctions Many states already have laws prohibiting reverse auctions for construction services. However, those laws do not prevent federal agencies from conducting reverse auctions in those states. And federal agencies, like the Departments of Veterans Affairs and the Interior, are increasingly turning to reverse auction procurement for construction services, which include million dollar building renovations, national park road construction, and material supply. Please urge your senators to prohibit federal agencies from procuring construction services through reverse auctions.

AGC submitted detailed comments on a proposed rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would give the agency the authority to cut into the paychecks of those who have unpaid debts, such as a fine or penalty for an alleged environmental violation. EPA would be allowed to garnish up to 15 percent of the “disposable pay” of delinquent debtors who do not work for the federal government via a process known as administrative wage garnishment (AWG) – all without a court order.

Recently, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest for design-build construction of a Special Forces Support Activity Operations Facility at the U.S. Navy’s Silver Strand Training Complex in Imperial Beach, Calif.

Alaska Thirty percent of Alaska voters went to the polls on Tuesday in one of the nation's last major competitive primaries.  There, former Attorney General and Natural Resources Department director Dan Sullivan claimed the Republican Senatorial nomination, winning the right to challenge vulnerable first-term incumbent Mark Begich (D).  Sullivan took 40 percent of the vote, defeating surprise second place finisher Joe Miller (32%) and Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell (25%).  

Still Time to Meet with Your Members of Congress in August First, thanks to those of you who have already participated in the Hardhats for Highways campaign and communicated our message with your members of Congress, either through in-person visits or by sending “e-Hardhat” letters.  Your efforts were part of nearly 12,000 letters sent to nearly 500 Congressional offices in 49 states, which led to the passage of a short-term funding patch through May of 2015.

Recently, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest for a design-build construction project to decentralize the steam heating system at Naval Base San Diego, Calif.

Joins Real Estate and Development Groups in Submitting Comments AGC and 11 other groups active in the real estate development, construction, and management fields called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to categorically exclude municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) from being considered “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) in official comments submitted to the agencies’ proposed rulemaking.

U.S. EPA is blocking its science advisers from speaking freely to the public and the press, according to a letter sent to EPA chief Gina McCarthy by journalism and scientific advocacy groups. At a recent closed-door meeting of the EPA’s Science Advisory Board, the entity that EPA convenes to independently review the scientific underpinnings of many of the agency’s rulemakings, EPA issued a memorandum outlining the policy for EPA advisers to handle inquiries from the press and the public. Science advisers are directed to refer those requests to EPA employees so that the Office of External Affairs can determine the agency's response.

Connecticut Not much competitive action in the Connecticut primary, as none of the five House incumbents faced a challenger.  In the Governor's race, former U.S. Ambassador Tom Foley (R), scored a 56-44 percent Republican primary victory over state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney.  The latter is the son of the late former U.S. Rep. Stewart McKinney (R-CT-4). 

On August 8, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, if implemented, will require covered federal contractors and subcontractors to submit an annual Equal Pay Report on employee compensation.