ABC, as part of the Waters Advocacy Coalition, responded to a draft scientific report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the connectivity of water, which the EPA said is intended to guide a forthcoming proposed rule that would expand its jurisdiction under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The proposed rule has not been released publically, but is under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

As part of the Employers for Flexibility in Health Care (E-FLEX) Coalition, ABC Nov. 7 submitted comments to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in response to Sept. 9 proposed rules on information reporting by applicable large employers on health insurance coverage offered under employer-sponsored plans and information reporting of minimum essential coverage.

On Nov.8, OSHA proposed a rule that would require employers to submit specific injury and illness data electronically to OSHA on a quarterly or annual basis. 

A study completed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) found that corporate-only tax reform might cause many small businesses that file as pass-through entities to suffer the consequences of this one-sided solution. 

Employers have until Dec. 1 to train their employees on the changes made to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Global Harmonization Standard (GHS) including the new “Safety Data Sheets” (SDS).  

According to a recent study by the Lansing, Mich.-based Anderson Economic Group (AEG), Michigan’s prevailing wage law costs taxpayers and the state’s public schools millions each year in higher construction costs—adding up to more than 315 elementary school buildings that could have been built in the past decade with the money lost to prevailing wages.

ABC, as part of the Health Choices Coalition, sent a letter to Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), supporting the Restoring Access to Medication Act, an effort to avert the unintended consequences resulting from the restrictions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) placed on tax-preferred accounts that prohibit their use for purchasing over-the-counter (“OTC”) medications without a prescription.

The U.S. Supreme Court has set a date of Jan. 13, 2014, to review a lower court ruling that President Obama’s early 2012 “recess” appointments of three members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were unconstitutional.

The massive health care law, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), continues to create uncertainty and confusion in the construction industry, making it difficult for the nation's contractors to plan for the future and create jobs. And with the employer mandate provisions becoming effective in 2015, significant employer education is required to understand how to comply with the law.

In a 55-44 vote, the U.S. Senate Oct. 29 confirmed Richard Griffin to serve a four-year term as the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel, despite opposition from Senate Republicans and the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW).