The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed two ABC-supported regulatory reform bills with bipartisan support. The Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act (H.R. 2804) passed the House on Feb. 27 by a vote of 236-179 and the Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development” (RAPID) Act (H.R. 2641) passed the House on March 6 by a vote of 229-179.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is requesting comments from the construction industry in response to the potential use of government-mandated project labor agreements (PLA) on two projects covering Mississippi, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

ABC and the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) signed a joint resolution March 7, expressing a commitment to promoting fair and open competition on taxpayer-funded construction contracts. The resolution formalizes a long-standing partnership between the organizations who will remain focused on providing value to taxpayers and opportunities for the contracting community by battling government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) March 6 issued a final rule on the Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category.  Under the final rule, which goes into effect May 5, EPA dropped the numeric discharge limit for turbidity in stormwater and implemented best practice management to prevent erosion at construction sites.

Under the proposal, OSHA would require establishments (worksites) with 20 or more employees at any time in the previous calendar year in construction and other high-hazard industries to submit their injury and illness records (Forms 300, 300A and 301) annually. The proposal also would require quarterly submission for establishments with 250 or more employees at any time in the previous calendar year.

The U.S. Navy’s Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific Acquisition Department is soliciting responses to a survey issued regarding the potential use of a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) on a federal contract for the Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Omaha District is seeking comments from the construction community addressing the potential use of a PLA within the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area which includes Fort Carson and the U.S. Air Force Academy. 

A Southwest Missouri school district was the first local government entity in the state to take advantage of the changes made to Missouri’s prevailing wage law in an effort to lower construction costs on potential new construction projects.

As part of an effort to expand its existing Lead Paint Renovation and Repair Painting rule to include public and commercial buildings, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Dec. 6 proposed to issue a related information collection request (ICR) to general contractors. As part of the Commercial Properties Coalition, ABC submitted comments Feb. 4 offering suggestions related to the scope and clarity of the questions in the ICR and the burden it will place on respondents with respect to time and cost.

A health care alert from Washington Council Ernst & Young on the final rule implementing the employer mandate provisions under the health care law is available for ABC members. The health care alert provides an overview of key provisions included in the final rule and also outstanding issues. 

More than 600 ABC members joined ABC in submitting comments to OSHA requesting it withdraw its proposed rule that would drastically lower the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of crystalline silica for the construction industry. The proposal also would require contractors to implement engineering controls and follow several “ancillary” provisions, such as exposure monitoring, medical surveillance and the establishment of regulated areas.