During his first State of the State address on Feb. 2, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) called for reforms related to project labor agreements (PLAs) and prevailing wage requirements that will help empower Illinois residents and drive economic growth.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued two surveys soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) for projects in New Jersey and California.

Nonresidential construction spending grew 0.4 percent on a monthly basis in Dec. 2014, according to the Feb. 2 release from the U.S. Census Bureau. Spending for the month totaled $627.1 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, 5.9 percent higher than Dec. 2013. The government also upwardly revised November’s spending estimate from $617 billion to $624.8 billion and October’s figure from $623 billion to $627.4 billion. “Despite the slight expansion indicated in today’s report, nonresidential construction lost some of its momentum during the final two months of 2014; however, this should represent only a minor dip in the indu

Suffolk Construction Company, Inc., West Palm Beach, Fla., member of the ABC Florida East Coast Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.

The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a request for information seeking a common definition for Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs). The goal is to create a broadly accepted definition of ZEB boundaries and metrics to create a standard that regulators and the private entities can agree upon. 

The votes are in and the four finalists for the 2015 Craft Instructor of the Year Award have been announced. The finalists will join ABC at the Workforce Conference March 3-6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where they will be interviewed and narrowed down to one winner. The winning instructor will be announced during the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony and will walk away with a $10,000 cash prize.

The National Craft Championships (NCC) is seeking judges for the 2015 competition which will be held March 3-6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. If you or someone you know has demonstrated experience in one of the crafts represented in the competition, lend your time and talents to help name the winning craft apprentices and trainees at the 2015 NCC.

ABC and 40 of its chapters joined the More Time for Full-Time Initiative in urging the Senate to co-sponsor the Forty Hours is Full Time Act of 2015 which would restore the traditional definition of full-time employment to 40 hours per week in the Affordable Care Act (ACA)which currently defines full-time as at least 30 hours per week. 

The U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 13 voted 250-175 in favor of the ABC-supported Regulatory Accountability Act (H.R. 185). Prior to the vote, ABC sent a letter urging Congress to support the legislation stating that it will ensure greater accountability from federal agencies and result in increased transparency in the federal rulemaking process. 

OSHA issued a Letter of Interpretation Jan. 15 clarifying the new reporting standard for severe injuries on the jobsite which went into effect Jan. 1. The interpretation letter provides a definition of an amputation and also how to distinguish between an amputation and an avulsion. In addition, the letter goes on to discuss whether the loss of an eye includes the loss of sight.