The U.S. House is expected to vote on legislation tomorrow that would remove the uncertainty created by the January 2012 unconstitutional recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (the Board). H.R. 1120, the Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act, which would allow the Board to continue essential functions, such as the worker’ ability to petition for union elections and the ability of the Board’s regional offices to accept and process unfair labor practice charges.

On April 11, the Senate Finance Committee released a second in a series of tax reform option papers; this latest document outlines ideas regarding “Business Investment and Innovation.” Included in the policy paper are Section 179 expensing, expanding cash method of accounting, providing a pass-through business deduction and repeal of last-in, first-out (LIFO) inventory accounting.

On April 10, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing titled, “Small Business Tax Reform: Growth Through Simplicity.” The hearing focused on the need to reform the complex and temporary nature of the Internal Revenue Code for small businesses. During his tenure, Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) has held 10 hearings dedicated to highlighting the negative impact a complex tax code can have on small firms. Likewise, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) has conducted over 20 hearings on the issue of comprehensive tax reform.

The “Gang of Eight” Senators continue to work to finalize details of comprehensive immigration reform. There continues to be few public details on the larger package, such as the worker verification process or the employer sanctions.  However, the future temporary worker visa program continues to have a unique and arbitrary restriction on the construction industry’s use of a future guestworker program.  In fact, it appears that the construction industry may even be further carved out if the program allows construction occupations that are ineligible for construction companies to be eligible in other industries. The timeline for a final deal and legislative language appears to have slipped into next week at the earliest.

Learn more at www.agc.org/fif Join AGC member company CFOs, CEOs and other senior accounting professionals June 13-14, 2013 in San Diego, Calif. for the AGC Financial Issues Forum (formerly the Tax and Fiscal Affairs Committee Meeting).

On April 9, AGC urged the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to reverse a decision to procure construction services using an online reverse auction. Specifically, the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS)—an agency within DOI’s jurisdiction—recently issued a solicitation for the “Tail Gate Spread Delivery of Gravel” to be procured as a commercial item contract, rather than a construction services contract, using a reverse auction.

AGC joined 190 other industry groups from a wide selection of economic sectors to express concern about a growing path of influence whereby groups use lawsuits that seek to force federal agencies to issue regulations that advance their policy priorities. These lawsuits are used to negotiate rulemaking schedules and other concessions from agencies outside of the traditional regulatory process. Unfortunately, impacted parties, including private citizens and states who may be subject to the regulations at issue, have been denied the opportunity to intervene in these suits as some courts have held that they lack standing to participate.

This week, AGC sent three letters opposing the possible use of project labor agreement (PLA) mandates posted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) around the country.  Specifically, AGC sent letters in response to two USACE PLA inquiries and one NAVFAC PLA inquiry from: (1) USACE Albuquerque District for a project at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; (2) USACE Baltimore District for projects in Utah, Nevada and Colorado; and (3) NAVFAC Southwest for a project at Seal Beach, Calif.

On April 5, the Government Accountability Office issued a report on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) multiemployer safety net program. The report is another in a series of government reports highlighting the underlining problems of the pension system and the need for substantive changes to the system. AGC has been working in a cross industry, labor and management coalition advocating for private sector solutions that would improve the ability of plans to keep contributing employers, improve retirement security for participants, and help prevent the need for taxpayer funds of the PBGC in the future. The recommendations would provide plan trustees and bargaining parties the tools to address challenges facing their specific plan.

The Associated General Contractors of America has built out their lobby shop with the addition of Brian Lenihan as Director of Tax, Fiscal Affairs & Accounting. Lenihan, who recently departed the office of Congressman Diane Black (R-Tenn.), a member of the Ways & Means and House Budget Committee, will focus on issues pertaining to tax reform, the ongoing debate over debt reduction and accounting matters, among others.