Contractors looking to enhance their employees’ project management skills can enroll them to take part in the ABC Project Management Institute held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The course includes two non-concurrent five-day sessions providing the students with tools to improve profitability and productivity and increase quality and customer satisfaction.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2015 (H.R. 427) July 28. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and was cosponsored by an additional 171 representatives. 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Act of 2015 (H.R.1734) July 22. The bill was sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-W. Va.) and was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 44 representatives. 

This fall, ABC is bringing back its annual Construction Management Career fair Nov. 11 in San Diego, where ABC members will have the opportunity to recruit from some of the leading construction management programs from around the country. 

Through Project Virtual Marketplace, ABC’s exclusive program for BIM products and services, ABC members have access to four new programs that help businesses find BIM solutions.  

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released new guidance July 15 related to employers’ use of independent contractors. In the Administrator’s Interpretation and an accompanying blog post, Wage and Hour Division Administrator Dr. David Weil laments the “problematic trend” of deliberate misclassification, and considers the guidance part of a “multi-pronged approach” to combat the phenomenon.

Republican leaders of three congressional committees sent a letter July 15 to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council, and other Obama administration officials, requesting that the proposed guidance and regulations for the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order 13673 (known as the Blacklisting EO) be withdrawn. This letter was sent a few days after the DOL and the FAR Council announced a two-week extension of the notice and comment period for the Blacklisting proposal to August 11.  

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released an interpretation letter July 6 which states that the use of kinesiology tape to treat a work-related injury no longer needs to be recorded as medical treatment.

No matter what position you’re in, or how many years of experience you have, there’s always something new to learn to make you the best leader you can be. ABC’s Leadership Week, which will be held Nov. 8-12 in San Diego, Calif., will provide a variety of opportunities for current and emerging leaders to grow both professionally and personally. 

ABC will bring together construction users and contractors Oct. 8-9 to discuss the industry’s safety, quality and workforce issues during its third annual Users Summit in St. Pete, Fla. This exclusive event is limited to 150 participants and includes a mix of users and chief executives and senior management from ABC contractor members in the health care and industrial markets.