This year’s BizCon takes place during Merit Week, Feb. 11-12 in Maui, Hawaii, and presents a great opportunity to mix work with play for the whole family. Merit Week features a line-up of events that allow ABC chapters and members to enjoy the exciting activities Hawaii has to offer while gaining insight and expert advice to take back to the office.

On Jan. 9, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury issued another set of frequently asked questions regarding implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The FAQs (Part XVIII) discuss coverage of preventive services, limitations on cost-sharing, and wellness programs and provided guidance on the Mental Health Parity Act.

In response to the House-Senate Conference meeting on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080) and the Water Resources Development Act (S. 601), ABC Jan. 7 sent a letter to members of Congress thanking them for recognizing the importance of our nation’s water infrastructure and for moving forward with the first Water Resource Reauthorization bill since 2007. However, ABC also expressed concern that the proposed Senate bill would expand Davis Bacon requirements and exclude a public-private partnership (P3s) program.

ABC announced a new education program, the ABC Project Management Institute, offering owners, project managers and estimators to learn how to utilize and develop tools that will improve profitability and productivity at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. 

ABC members interested in participating in the 2014 BizCon in Maui, Hawaii, Feb. 11-12, have until Wednesday, Jan. 8 to register at the early bird rate and take advantage of the hotel discounts at the Grand Wailea. 

The deadline to submit an intent to compete form to take part in the 2014 National Craft Championships April 29-May 2 in Birmingham, Ala., is Friday, Jan. 10. ABC chapters and contractors can send their best craft trainees to compete in the competition to represent their company’s dedication to workforce development, their ABC chapter’s training and their hometown.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) January 6 formally abandoned its controversial “Employee Rights” notice poster rule after deciding not to file a petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review two U.S. Court of Appeals decisions invalidating the notice posting rule. The rule would have required employers to display a poster in their workplace that contained a biased and incomplete list of employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act. 

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) regulatory agenda, released Nov. 27, included updated timeframes for proposed rulemakings related to independent contractors and apprenticeship. 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) decreased the optional standard mileage rates to use for 2014 in computing the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business by half-a-cent.

During its Nov. 5 meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., the ABC Board of Directors elected Dan Brodbeck of Compass Partners LLC in Brentwood, Tenn., to serve as the association's 2014 national chairman. Phil Hoppman of Big D Metalworks in Dallas, Texas, was elected to serve as ABC’s 2014 chairman-elect.