In his 2015 economic forecast released Dec. 9, ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu relayed his forecast for a steady recovery among the U.S. commercial and industrial construction industries in 2015, continuing the momentum built in 2014.

Important Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation and enforcement deadlines—such as for the employer mandate ("pay or play") and information reporting requirements—are approaching quickly. Make sure you are prepared by taking advantage of the resources ABC is offering, including a recent webinar on how these complex ACA requirements could impact your company in 2015.  

OSHA’s latest semiannual regulatory agenda was released on Nov. 2. It lists the priorities of the administration and the rulemakings they expect to release this year.

Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) applications for 2014 may still be submitted, but time is running out as ABC will cease processing applications on Dec. 15 in order to close out the year and begin the annual STEP data analysis. This analysis, completed using data submitted by STEP participants, provides ABC members who apply for STEP a benchmarking tool for their companies compared to other STEP participants of similar work type/size and the rest of the construction industry. 

As a part of The Partnership for a Better Energy Future (the Partnership), ABC and other business organizations representing more than 80% of the U.S. economy, submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arguing that itsproposed power plant rule, also known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP), is not compatible with numerous practical and technical aspects of America’s electricity system. 

On Nov. 20, President Obama addressed the nation to announce sweeping reforms to our current immigration system. Failing to heed the calls of Republicans in the House and Senate, the president once again circumvented the legislative process with executive action. His unilateral and temporary expansion of certain programs jeopardizes a long-term fix to our immigration system that is workable for our economy and national security. 

AMEC Foster Wheeler, Woodstock, Ga., member of the ABC Georgia Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued two surveys soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of project labor agreements (PLA) on projects in Illinois and Nevada. 

Registration for ABC’s 2015 Workforce Conference is now open and ABC is excited to announce that John Ratzenberger, known best for his role as Cliff in the show “Cheers,” will be joining us as the keynote speaker. In addition, the 2015 conference offers five education tracks for construction and association professionals, networking opportunities, the National Craft Championships and the Excellence in Construction Awards. The conference will be held March 3-6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

This week ABC joined more than 500 industry groups in sending letters to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives urging action during the Lame Duck session of Congress on the extension of important tax provisions that have already expired or will expire by the end of the year.