As the House and Senate Budget Conference Committee members continue to meet, AGC is urging them to address the long-term stability of the Highway Trust Fund.

In response to a request for comments from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), AGC submitted comments regarding the proposed employer reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – also known as the health care reform law.  The reporting requirements will be used to verify the individual and employer mandates.  The concerns of AGC member companies were expressed via joint comments submitted by the Employers for Flexibility in Health Care (E-FLEX) – a coalition group of leading trade associations, large businesses and employer-sponsored health plans.  AGC also submitted an independently-drafted letter specifically addressing the needs of construction employers with workers who are subject to collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).

The Small Business and Family Relief Act was recently introduced, which will delay the health insurance tax until 2016. The tax is scheduled to begin in 2014 and will be levied on health insurance companies – and will ultimately be passed on to small businesses and employees who are covered by their employer. The tax is one of the largest tax increases in the Affordable Care Act.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has rescheduled a Listening Session on the proposed changes to DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program rules to Dec. 5, 2013, and has extended the deadline for written comments on the proposed rule changes until Dec. 26. The Listening Session was originally scheduled for Oct. 9, but had to be postponed due to the government shutdown. The Listening Session will now be held at U.S. DOT headquarters in Washington D.C. and is intended to gather information on the potential costs associated with the proposed rules.

On Nov. 13, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District for the Center Hill Dam Safety Rehabilitation Project in Lancaster, Tennessee.

The 2014 AGC Federal Contractors Conference will be held June 10-12, 2014, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. The conference will be held in conjunction with the Transportation Construction Coalition meeting, also at the Mayflower Hotel, June 9-10.

Election Night 2013 may have turned out somewhat differently than political polling projected in terms of margin, but the actual voting yielded few surprise winners.

When former Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) announced in July that he would not seek retiring Sen. Max Baucus' (D) open seat, all eyes turned toward freshman at-large Rep. Steve Daines (R). Now, four months later, Mr. Daines confirms in a formal announcement yesterday that he will become a Senate candidate.

On Nov. 13, budget conferees are scheduled to gather for a second public meeting to debate the appropriate top-line numbers and policy mix for a fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget. The 29 conferees will have four weeks remaining before the Dec. 13 deadline to reach a final agreement. Although no details of the meeting agenda have been released by the budget staff, some of the conferees have expressed interest in having an independent budget expert testify on the fiscal challenges ahead.

On Nov. 4, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District for the New Orleans to Venice West Bank Levee project in Louisiana.