On Oct. 4, the National Labor Relations Board announced an extension of the comment period on its proposed rule that would amend the NLRB’s representation election regulations. The deadline for submitting comments has been extended from Oct. 11 to Dec. 10, 2019.

On Sept. 27, the DOL issued a final rule on overtime, which updates and revises the “white-collar” overtime exemption regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.  The final rule goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

On Sept. 26, the U.S. Senate voted 53-44 to confirm Eugene Scalia as secretary of labor.

On Sept. 24, in a 4-3 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld ABC-supported legislation passed by the Ohio Legislature that prohibited residency requirements for contractors working on public construction projects.  

On Sept. 25, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor held a markup on H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO, Act.  During the markup, representatives debated the merits of the bill and sought to add and remove provisions. Each amendment submitted by Democrats passed, while those submitted by Republicans failed via a party line vote. 

A study released in August by the Beacon Hill Institute found that New Jersey schools built under controversial government-mandated project labor agreements cost 16.25% more than schools that were bid and constructed through fair and open competition, free from PLA requirements.

On Sept. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division published a notice in the Federal Register to announce that the minimum wage for federal contractors will increase to $10.80 per hour from the current $10.60 beginning Jan. 1, 2020.

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted 12-11 to advance the nomination of Eugene Scalia to serve as the secretary of labor. The nomination will move to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote.

On Sept. 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed the final rule rescinding the 2015 final Clean Water Rule: Definition of "Waters of the United States," also known as the WOTUS final rule. ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman attended the signing ceremony for the rulemaking.

The Hitt family recently donated a $16 million gift to the Act on Addiction campaign, a program launched by Inova Health System that fuels awareness, combats stigma and provides resources for those suffering from substance abuse in the Northern Virginia area. There are nearly 20 million American adults who suffer from addiction, and a recent survey says that approximately half of adults do not know how to help someone in need of treatment or support.