Construction projects in Washington, which have been widely shut down since March 25, resumed this week in limited scope and under new safety guidelines issued by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs published a new webpage with information and resources for federal contractors and workers related to their obligations and rights concerning the past misuse of drugs.

On April 30, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration published a rule extending deadlines under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code for group health plans, disability and other welfare plans, pension plans and participants and beneficiaries of these plans during the COVID-19 national emergency.

Voters in Wisconsin and California will cast ballots for two important special general elections on Tuesday, May 12.

On April 25, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) rolled out his plan for a gradual reopening of the state, which says that construction can resume on Friday, May 1, as long as it is in accordance with safety and COVID-19 mitigation standards.

The Construction Industry Safety Coalition recently released an updated COVID-19 Prevention, Preparedness and Response Plan for Construction. ABC, a member of the CISC Steering Committee, encourages its members to review the plan, which includes the latest protective measures and guidance on keeping workers safe on jobsites.

Twenty-three students have won college scholarships worth between $5,000 and $40,000 in the second year of a national competition organized by the ACE Mentor Program, a free after-school program created by the integrated construction industry to attract students into pursuing industry-related careers.

On April 27, a bipartisan group of 18 U.S. senators urged expanding eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program to include 501(c)(6) organizations in the next coronavirus relief package. If your senator supported this effort, please take the time to thank them through ABC’s Action Alert.

ABC is committed to providing its members with the latest health, safety, economic and policy information regarding the coronavirus pandemic. To better manage the growing number of resources, ABC just updated its Coronavirus Update webpage to simplify and improve navigation, with topics and resources organized in four different categories: Employer Resources, Employee Resources, National Markets and State & Local Markets.

On April 24, the president signed into law a $484 billion bipartisan deal to extend the Paycheck Protection Program and provide additional funding for hospitals and testing for the virus. Following the bill’s passage, additional guidance was issued by the Small Business Administration and U.S. Department of Treasury on the second round of funding for the popular loan program.