On April 14, President Donald Trump announced that ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman was named to one of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which will work together with the White House towards the stated goal of “charting the path forward toward a future of unparalleled American prosperity.” 

Last week, the Federal Reserve took additional actions to provide up to $2.3 trillion in loans to support the economy during the COVID-19 health crisis.

ABC is encouraging individual employers to talk directly to workers about coronavirus safe work practices and protocols on construction jobsites by hosting COVID-19 Safety Stand-downs on Thursday, April 23.

Join Matt Abeles, ABC vice president of construction technology and innovation, and his guests to explore ways to leverage cutting-edge technology and help ABC member companies succeed in today’s unique construction climate. Three tech-focused webinars are scheduled as part of ABC’s COVID-19 series and will provide unique, innovative insights into a variety of timely topics. 

On April 10, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued interim guidance for enforcing OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements (29 CFR Part 1904) as it relates to recording cases of COVID-19.

The Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Treasury confirmed ABC’s interpretation of the IFR and addressed this issue in a release of FAQs for lenders and borrowers. Importantly, this document clarifies that businesses do not have to qualify as both a small business concern and have 500 or fewer employees. ABC continues to urge eligible members in need to apply for PPP loans.

On March 16, as a result of COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship, released Bulletin 2020-51 to provide flexibility regarding the requirements for approval for related instruction and reiterate that related instruction may be delivered electronically.

During these unprecedented times, many businesses are assisting ABC members and chapters by providing them online tools for their services.

Following the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) and President Trump signing it into law, ABC has gathered some additional information on the bill’s small business and tax provisions.

On March 24, ABC, as a member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition Steering Committee, wrote to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding recordkeeping and respirator enforcement during the COVID-19 outbreak. CISC is comprised of a number of trade associations that represent every aspect of the construction industry.