In testimony June 18 before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, ABC General Counsel and shareholder with Littler Mendelson, P.C., Maurice Baskin said the Department of Labor’s (DOL) administration of the Davis-Bacon Act has, “hindered economic growth, increased the federal deficit and imposed an enormous paperwork burden on both contractors and the federal government.”

Economists from ABC, American Institute of Architects and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) gave their perspectives June 17 about where the construction economy is headed during an online news conference. As a whole, things are improving, but recovery will continue to be slow unless more jobs are created.

The National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) August 2011 “Notification of Employee Rights” rule was struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on June 14, making it the second appellate court to invalidate the rule this year. 

To help members get a greater understanding of their obligations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or health care law, ABC Merit Choice Insurance is offering a “Health Care Reform Overview for Contractors.” 

ABC Business Partner General Motors is offering special Fleet Out-of-Stock Bonus Cash now through July 1. 

More than 350 ABC members and chapters traveled to Washington D.C., June 12 to meet their members of Congress. They also heard from Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) during the ABC Legislative Conference breakfast.

ABC celebrated a victory June 10 after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) signed a bill (S.438) into law that will prohibit state government entities from requiring contractors to sign a project labor agreement (PLA) with labor unions as a condition of performing work on public construction projects.

ABC submitted comments June 9 opposing an interim final rule on how wages for temporary, non-agricultural H-2B workers should be calculated. The “emergency” interim final rule, issued April 24 by the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL), was effective immediately. 

ABC awarded former National Chairman James (Jim) W. Elmer, founder and president of James W. Elmer Construction Co., Spokane, Wash., a Life Membership award. He was presented this honor June 11 at ABC’s National Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is hosting two webinars for small businesses on how to avoid the top tax mistakes and how to maximize tax benefits.