On Sept. 3, ABC sent a letter to  Rep. James Comer, the ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform, explaining the negative impacts of the Obama administration’s regulatory expansion on ABC member contractors, as well as the Trump administration’s regulatory relief initiatives, which have helped to remove burdensome barriers to job creation.

On Sept. 8, a U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York judge ruled that parts of the U.S. Department of Labor’s joint employer final rule, which was issued on Jan. 16, 2020, are illegal. Associated Builders and Contractors had applauded the 2020 joint employer final rule, which promised to make the joint employment test more narrow and focused when it went into effect on March 16.

On Aug. 31, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a final rule amending its standards for occupational exposure to beryllium and beryllium compounds in the construction and shipyard sectors. ABC and other construction organizations previously filed a settlement with the agency to effectively narrow the scope of the Obama administration’s beryllium final rule, which would have applied a comprehensive, burdensome set of requirements related to beryllium on all construction employers.

The ABC PAC is kicking off the Fall Meet & Greet Series with Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 4:15-4:45 p.m. ET.  This event is free of charge for all ABC members who have a completed a prior authorization for this calendar year.

ABC’s Chief Economist Anirban Basu reports on the national nonresidential construction spending which fell 1.2% in July, according to an ABC analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. To learn more visit abc.org/economics.

On Aug. 31, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published a notice in the Federal Register to announce that the minimum wage for federal contractors will increase from $10.80 per hour to $10.95 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

On Thursday, Sept. 10, ABC will continue its Election Briefing Series with an exclusive Mid-America and Midwest region election update. It will be followed by two national updates from the National Republican Congressional Committee on Thursday, Sept. 24 and the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Thursday, Oct. 22.

On Tuesday, Sept. 1, President Trump’s memorandum deferring payroll tax obligations went into effect. This memorandum allows for the deferral of the employee portion of federal payroll taxes — 6.2% for social security and 1.45% for Medicare — from Sept. 1, 2020, until Dec. 31, 2020, for workers earning less than $4,000 on a biweekly basis or $104,000 annually.

On Thursday, Aug. 27, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published new frequently asked questions for workers and employers regarding qualifications for paid leave eligibility under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, specifically adding new guidance detailing paid leave options related to schools reopening.