ABC joined several organizations in strongly urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to retain the current ozone standards when finalizing the proposed rulemaking set to revise the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone under the Clean Air Act (Act). 

Lawmakers in a number of states have made reforming outdated prevailing wage laws a major priority so far in 2015. In the past month, legislators in West Virginia, Nevada and Indiana have advanced legislation that attempts to narrow the types of construction projects affected by prevailing wage, and in some cases, to remove the law entirely. 

The U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 8 voted 252-172 to pass the ABC-supported Save American Workers Act (H.R. 30), which would replace the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) definition of “full time” as 30 hours or more per week with the traditional definition of 40 hours. Before the vote, ABC sent a letter urging Congress to support the bill and markedit as “Key Vote” for their 114th Congressional Scorecard because under the ACA’s current 30-hour rule, many employers will be forced to reduce employee work hours and wages.  

The 113th congress concluded its final session Dec. 16 without reauthorizing the Terrorism Risk Insurance (TRIA) program. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support, and over four hundred Representatives voting to reauthorize the program for six years, the democratically controlled Senate was unable to vote on the bill before leaving town for the last time until the new year. 

A new member benefit program is being offered exclusively to ABC members and their employees through ABC Merit Choicewhich allows them to apply for top auto and home insurance benefits through a group discount with MetLife Auto and Home®.

Next week, ABC contractors will be meeting with construction users from the industrial sector to discuss best practices on critical issues that affect the planning and delivery of construction projects. The second annual Industrial Users Summit will be held Oct. 16-17 in San Antonio, Texas, and will focus on creating a forum that allows both industry users and ABC member contractors to learn from each other. 

Did you know that less than 38% of the voting-age population actually voted in the last mid-term election of 2010? The new online election resource ABCvotes.com equips ABC members and their employees with the tools to make the right decisions in the upcoming elections on Nov. 4. 

Every year, ABC member companies send their teams out to universities and local colleges to find the best recruits to join their company. Now, ABC members can meet qualified candidates from ABC student chapters who are looking for full-time positions and internships in one place: at ABC’s Career Fair Nov. 11, in Miami, Fla.

More than 6,100 career and technical education (CTE) students competed in 99 different craft, technical and leadership fields during the June 2014 SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City, Mo. SkillsUSA is the national-level competition for high school and college/postsecondary students enrolled in CTE programs.

The Grassroots Chapter Recognition Program recognized 29 ABC Chapters for their outstanding grassroots advocacy efforts and policies enacted at the local level during the 2014 Legislative Conference on June 11 in Washington, D.C. The program recognizes chapters on one of three levels-Gold, Silver and Bronze.