On Tuesday, Aug. 6, AGC met with the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) to discuss the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proposed rules that will govern federal contractors’ employment of veterans and people with disabilities before they become final.

Late last week, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) announced his intention to release and mark up a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill in September. The chairman also expected the bill to reach the House floor in October.

FAR Council Does Not Remove Contractor PPE Appeal Process On Aug. 1, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council issued a final rule that all federal agencies adopt uniform past performance ratings and factors based on the ratings and factors used in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).  However, the FAR Council did not remove the right for contractors to seek review of past performance evaluations at a level above the contracting officers, as it had initially proposed. In its comments to the proposed rule, AGC repeatedly highlighted the need to retain this administrative appeal right, among other things.

The New Jersey special primary election to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) is scheduled for next Tuesday, but according to Quinnipiac University's final poll before the vote, the race is virtually over. When Mr. Lautenberg died in early June and Gov. Chris Christie (R) scheduled the special election to choose a replacement, the early polling showed Newark Mayor Cory Booker with numbers approaching or breaking 50 percent of the Democratic vote, with the other candidates, U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.-6), Rush Holt (D-N.J.-12), and state House Speaker Sheila Oliver, barely breaking past 10 percent or registering only in single digits.

The Obama administration should reconsider its proposal to impose oppressive new regulations governing the employment of veterans and people with disabilities on federal contractors, officials with AGC of America argued today during a meeting with the administration. Association officials said federal employment and compliance enforcement data indicate there is no justification for the costly new rules.

This week, AGC chapters and members in Texas and Arizona signed onto letters delivered to certain members of the House urging support for the Poe-Labrador guest worker bill. The House may consider the bill sometime this fall.  The letters were also signed by companies, associations and individuals from agriculture, education and the broader business community.

This week, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) sent two final rules to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on revising the regulations implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act. This marks the last step in the regulatory rulemaking process. Typically, final rules are under OMB review for 30 to 90 days and after that allotted period of time, the far reaching rules could be finalized and published.

Last week, the AGC-led Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) urging them to address the pending Highway Trust Fund (HTF) revenue shortfall as they work to finalize a comprehensive tax reform package.

October 23-25, 2013 | Las Vegas, Nev.  Jointly sponsored by AGC and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), the 17th Annual AGC/CFMA Construction Financial Management Conference offers programs and workshops designed specifically for financial professionals in the construction industry. 

The FY 2015 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill failed to move forward in both the House and Senate this week.   Both bills provided AGC-supported funding levels for federal highway and transit programs and the Airport Improvement Program, but differed in their overall funding levels, with the Senate bill’s estimated funding nearly $10 billion more than the House bill.