On March 30, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, in a bipartisan 225-204 vote, with four Democrats supporting and only one Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., opposing the bill.

On March 29, the U.S. Senate passed the ABC-supported H.J. Res. 27, the Waters of the United States Congressional Review Act Resolution, in a 53-43 vote with the support of all Senate Republicans and five Democrats, Sens. Rosen, Nev., Cortez Masto, Nev., Manchin, W.Va., Tester, Mont., and Sinema, Ariz. Four Senators did not vote.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is hosting an online forum for employers, contractors, workers and other stakeholders on May 2 and 3 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. The two-day, virtual event will feature panel discussions on compliance with federal laws governing wages and workplace issues, with a specific focus on construction and federal contractors.

ABC has commissioned management consulting firm FMI to conduct the fifth annual survey to quantify the current investment and workforce development efforts of member contractors. It is vital that each member contractor complete the survey.

Last week, ABC joined a coalition of national, state and local trade associations in a letter to President Joe Biden, urging the administration’s active engagement with both the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association to help them reach a final contract, bring negotiations to a close and end the uncertainty surrounding operations of the West Coast ports.  

On March 29, the U.S. Senate will vote on S. J. Res 7, a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2023 revised Waters of the United States regulation.

On March 28, the National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo launched the “Know Your Rights” card series to educate workers on their rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

On March 24, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law S.B. 34 and H.B. 4007, which respectively repeal the state’s right-to-work protections and reinstate prevailing wage requirements for public construction projects. The actions reward labor unions’ substantial financial and political contributions to Michigan Democrats’ unified state governmental control and garnered significant opposition from ABC of Michigan, the wider business community and Republican lawmakers.

This year marks three decades of the Accredited Quality Contractors program, and 10 ABC members have participated in the program for all 30 years of its existence.

In a speech delivered on March 22, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, Lily Batchelder, indicated that additional guidance on prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for Inflation Reduction Act clean energy tax credits is months away.