On Nov. 19, AGC sent a letter opposing a government-mandated project labor (PLA) inquiry posted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC). NAVFAC Southwest sought industry comments on a possible PLA for a project at the Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, Calif. The job (solicitation number N6247312X1420) is for the replacement of the aging and seismically deficient fuel pier valued at approximately $72 million.

Patrick Murphy Declared Winner in Race to Represent Florida’s 18th Congressional District Patrick Murphy (D), a member of South Florida Chapter-AGC, was elected to the U.S. Congress to represent Florida’s 18th Congressional district.  Murphy currently serves as vice president of Coastal Environmental Services, which specializes in disaster relief and environmental cleanup.

On Nov. 27, AGC sent a letter to Senators urging their inclusion of small business reforms in the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA). Among those reforms, AGC especially urged inclusion of: (1) counting small business participation at lower tiers towards the federal small business procurement goals; and (2) addressing the definition a “bundled contract” to include contracts for construction services, thereby forcing federal agencies to justify why they bundle.

Congressman Shuster Takes Over Transportation and Infrastructure Committee This week, the House Republican Conference selected their nineteen committee chairmen for the 113th Congress.  Of the nineteen, seven will be new committee heads.  The new chairmen include Representatives Bill Shuster (Pa.) – Transportation and Infrastructure; Michael McCaul (Texas) – Homeland Security;  Ed Royce (Calif.) – Foreign Affairs; Jeb Hensarling (Texas)  – Financial Services; Robert Goodlatte (Va.) – Judiciary; Chris Smith (N.J.) – Science, Space and Technology; and Pete Sessions (Texas) – Rules.

Congress and the White House are no closer to a deal on the fiscal cliff than they were before the election.  Each side continues to use the same talking points that they used in the campaign.  AGC and many other groups have been urging action on the fiscal cliff and urging Congress and the president to postpone the fiscal cliff and give themselves the time needed to get the full package done. In an effort to estimate the impact on the construction industry, please complete this short survey by Tuesday, December 4.

The AGC Financial Issues Forum will hold their winter meeting Jan. 10-11, 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona at Hotel Valley Ho.  At this meeting, attendees will discuss numerous topics, including: the legislative and political landscape including the plans for comprehensive tax reform, an update of Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB) activities, and a discussion on evolving construction tax issues.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a second draft of the EM-385 Safety Manual revision, which is available for comment, and has extended the deadline for comments to Jan. 31, 2013.

On Nov. 15, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee moved forward on authorizing a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), holding a legislative hearing on draft legislation. Yesterday, EPW Committee Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and committee member David Vitter (R-La.), along with all the Republicans on the committee, wrote a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asking that  the WRDA bill reform the Army Corps of Engineers by streamline project delivery, enhance oversight and prioritize water projects.

This week, House and Senate Republicans voted to elect their respective leaders for the 113th Congress . Most of the positions in the House were foregone conclusions, as no one challenged Speaker John Boehner (Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), or Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.). The most closely watched election was for conference chairman, which Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) won over Rep. Tom Price (Ga.). The official role of the conference chair is to preside over House Republican’s regular closed-door meetings and act in a public relations role for the caucus.

On Nov. 2, AGC submitted comments on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council’s recently proposed rule concerning past performance evaluation (PPE) standardization. The draft comments are based on a wealth of AGC member feedback on the proposed rule. In its comments, AGC noted that: