NAVFAC is seeking comments on the potential use of PLAs for two projects: an aircraft maintenance hangar upgrade at the Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and the submarine production support facility in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USACE also issued a survey for the potential use of a PLA for dredging and deepening the main channel of the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Penn. 

ABC June 24 signed a strategic partnership with Maxwell Systems that will support ABC’s goal of helping members win work and deliver it safely, ethically and profitably. Maxwell Systems delivers an all-in-one construction software solution and is a leading provider of expert services and best practices that empower contractors to eliminate waste and run a more efficient and profitable business. 

The ABC Elevator Contractors Council (ECC), formerly known as the Merit Elevator Contractors Association of America (MECAA), is a group of ABC members dedicated to advancing and growing the merit shop elevator sector of the construction industry. From 2012-2013, ABC ECC worked with several chapters to track important legislation and regulations in 20 states related to key merit shop elevator issues. 

One of ABC’s Business Partners, General Motors, recently received eight J.D. Power Initial Quality Awards – more than any other automaker. ABC members can take advantage of discounts on some of the award-winning vehicles by visiting ABC’s Business Partner page. 

OSHA must stick to a six-month statute of limitations when citing a company for failure to record an injury or illness and cannot treat such an event as a continuing violation throughout the five-year recordkeeping period, according to an April 6 decision by a federal appeals court. The decision overturned a position that had been in place since 1993. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it is withdrawing a Dec. 1 direct final rule that would have altered the USDA’s procurement policies to require federal contractors to certify that they, as well as their subcontractors and suppliers, were in compliance with all applicable labor laws. 

For more than three years, ABC has advocated for the repeal of the complex and costly employer mandate included in the Affordable Care Act. On July 2, the Obama Administration finally acknowledged employers’ concerns about implementing the burdensome requirements in a timely and effective manner. 

(R-Utah) June 27 proposed a “blank slate” approach for tax reform and called on their fellow Senators to provide proposals for tax expenditures that should be added back to the tax code and improved.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced June 17 that it has released a new ladder safety smartphone app, which uses visual and audio signals to make it easier for workers using extension ladders to check the angle of the ladder and offers useful tips for using extension ladders safely. The app is available for free download on iPhone and Android devices. 

The U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to pass the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) on June 27 with language that places a limit on the number of guest worker visas available to the construction industry.