The first in a series of consecutive May primary weeks went solidly for the incumbents on Tuesday, as all U.S. House members facing intra-party challengers, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), rode to victory. In only three instances did the incumbents fail to break 60 percent of the vote – Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), Walter Jones Jr. (R-N.C.) and David Joyce (R-Ohio).
Final WRDA Bill Expected Soon On April 29, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Major General John Peabody testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to review 11 new Chief of Engineers’ reports. These reports represent the final step necessary before Congress considers authorizing a civil works project for construction. Reports indicate that this hearing was the last obstacle before Congress passes a final Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) within several weeks.
On April 28, AGC joined with farm, labor inland waterway user organizations in sending the Senate Finance Committee a letter urging an increase in revenues for inland waterway construction projects.
On Tuesday, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (NAVFAC) for construction of a new hospital bed tower at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Department of Veterans Affairs, in Tampa, Fla.
Freshman Rep. Vance McAllister (R), who was elected in a November special election to replace former Rep. Rodney Alexander (R) but then quickly became embroiled in an extra-marital scandal, announced yesterday that he will not seek a full term this November. He will serve the balance of the current term, however, against the wishes of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor who asked McAllister to immediately resign.
The developing story surrounding a criminal indictment against two-term Rep. Michael Grimm (R) will most probably put a marginal seat in the Democratic column. Since Rep. Grimm's legal proceedings will almost assuredly continue through the election, New York City Councilman Domenic Recchia now becomes a slight favorite to convert the seat in November.
The Supreme Court’s decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission struck down the federal aggregate contribution limit. Prior to the ruling, federal election regulations stated that an individual could only contribute $123,200 in a two-year election cycle. If further stipulated, an individual’s contributions to candidates and all PACs/parties could not exceed $48,600 and $74,600 respectively.
The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in response to the Obama administration's release today of proposed surface transportation legislation that would provide an estimated $302 billion for highway, bridge and transit construction over a four-year period: "The administration's proposed transportation bill should accelerate debate and action on a new highway and transit bill before the current legislation expires at the end of September.
Monday, May 5, 2014 | 2:00-3:00 pm EDT | www.HardhatsforHighways.org Hardhats for Highways invites you to attend a free webinar on Monday, May 5, 2014 from 2:00-3:00 pm EDT. This webinar will discuss how you can get involved in the campaign, the tools available to help you be successful and real-life examples from a construction company on their Hardhats for Highways efforts.
$3 Billion Cut to MILCON; More of the Same for VA On April 9, the House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2015 funding bill for Military Construction (Milcon) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill roughly mirrors the president’s FY 2015 budget request for Milcon and VA construction accounts.