The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) are soliciting comments from the construction community about the potential use of a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) on federal construction projects in six states including North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Maryland, Kentucky and Texas.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Dec. 9 agreed to dismiss its appeal of a court ruling invalidating its controversial “ambush” election rule, which would have drastically reduced the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place.

In August 2013, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued an affirmative action rule related to hiring disabled workers. In November, ABC filed an injunction against the rule. Below are a set of frequently asked questions on both OFCCP’s rule and ABC’s challenge to that rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Nov. 27 regulatory agenda includes items related to the Clean Water Act, lead paint programs and post-construction stormwater and stormwater ELG, among other items.

ABC Nov. 27 praised the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for upholding Michigan’s 2011 law that prohibits government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) on construction projects paid for by Michigan taxpayers. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) are soliciting comments from the construction community about the potential use of a government-mandated project labor agreement (PLA) on federal construction projects in Texas and Maryland.

According to OSHA’s latest semiannual regulatory agenda, released Nov. 27, the agency plans to issue a final rule on confined spaces and a notice of proposed rulemaking on injury and illness prevention programs (I2P2) in 2014. The regulatory agenda lists the priorities of the administration and the rulemakings they expect to release this year; however, OSHA is not required to adhere to the timeline.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Nov. 27 announced that online enrollment for small businesses in the federally-facilitated Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace will be delayed one year until November 2014.  

The Affordable Coverage Coalition, of which ABC is a member, Nov. 21 sent a letter urging members of congress to support H.R. 3367, the Small Business and Family Relief Act, bipartisan legislation that would delay the health insurance tax for two years.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Nov. 19 filed a request for an injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against an Aug. 27 rule from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that drastically alters federal contractors’ existing affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations for individuals with disabilities. The rule is schedule to go into effect March 24, 2014.