On Nov. 22, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it has extended the compliance date for the electronic reporting provisions of its Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule (also known as Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses) to Dec. 15. This is a two-week extension from the Dec. 1 compliance date in the proposed rule. The final rule regarding the delay of the compliance date will be published in the Federal Register on Nov. 24.

On Nov. 28, ABC will offer the webinar “DOL Training on Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors” at 2 p.m. EDT. The webinar will cover the Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors final rule issued by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on Sept. 30, 2016, which implements President Obama’s E.O. 13706. 

ABC congratulates Justin Baker, executive vice president of Gaylor Electric in Mooresville, N.C., for being named ABC's Young Professional of the Year. Baker accepted the award Nov. 8 during ABC's Leadership Week Conference in Orlando, Fla. 

Construction input prices remained unchanged on a monthly basis in October, according to analysis of today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics release by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Overall construction input prices have expanded 4.3 percent year over year, while nonresidential input prices have expanded 4.1 percent since October 2016. Crude petroleum prices rose 6.6 percent for the month and are up 7.7 percent for the year. No other input manifested significant price growth in October.

On Nov. 13, the U.S. Senate began the first day of an expected four-day process to amend and approve their version of tax reform legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on their version of the bill on Thursday, Nov. 15. If both chambers pass their respective bills, conferees will be designated to negotiate an agreement between the House and Senate versions, which currently include a number of significant differences. 

On Nov. 13, ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman participated in the first meeting of the U.S. Department of Labor’s task force on apprenticeship expansion. Timed to coincide with the first day of National Apprenticeship Week, the task force is responsible for identifying strategies and proposals to expand and promote apprenticeship opportunities. 

The ABC student chapter at the University of Cincinnati was named the 2017 Student Chapter of the Year for its accomplishments in programming, community service, communications and public relations and interaction with its sponsor, the ABC Ohio Valley Chapter, during the academic year. Colorado State University, sponsored by the ABC Rocky Mountain Chapter, was named the Construction Management Competition (CMC) overall winner of 2017.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the upcoming ABC webinars on federal regulations and policies that impact the construction industry.

On Nov. 7, ABC joined Associated General Contractors, the Leading Builders of America and the National Association of Home Builders in a letter to Congressional leaders expressing the construction industry’s concerns regarding the upcoming decisions related to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras. The letter urged Congress to take legislative action to ensure that TPS holders can remain and continue to work legally in this country. 

Operating in 37 states and annually engaging 9,000 high school students, ACE Mentor Program relies on construction managers, architects, engineers and even accountants and marketing experts to inspire students to pursue careers in design and construction.