ABC praised Congress and the administration for passing a bipartisan reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, one of the key federal programs that supports vocational education programs that align with local workforce needs and lead to industry-recognized credentials.

On July 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a notice of proposed rulemaking titled Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses. According to OSHA, the proposal seeks to better protect personally identifiable information or data that could be re-identified with a particular individual by removing provisions of the 2016 Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule.

Estimated June construction unemployment rates fell in 15 states on a year-over-year basis, rose in 33 states and were unchanged in two states (Arizona and New Hampshire), according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by ABC.

ABC members have set the standard for safety, performance and integrity in the construction industry since 1950. After topping 21,000 members in 2017, ABC has a goal of adding 1,000 new like-minded companies committed to excellence and delivering high-value, to join in 2018. Now it’s easy to recommend a colleague at onekmoresway.org, and chapter staff will follow up to close the deal.

The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized 4.1 percent rate during the second quarter of 2018—the fastest rate of quarterly growth since the second quarter of 2014, according to an ABC analysis of U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

On behalf of ABC, Mike Holland, chief operating officer, MAREK Companies, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions about the need to modernize and expand apprenticeship opportunities in the United States. 

On July 19, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service proposed revisions to regulations governing sections 4 and 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The public has until Sept. 24, 2018 to comment on the proposed rules. 

ABC urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass two bills that would modernize vital health care programs and provide much-needed relief to small businesses and their employees, designating them as key votes for its scorecard on the 115th Congress on July 23.

ABC joined a coalition of construction and business associations urging President Trump to eliminate government-mandated project labor agreements and allow all qualified contractors to compete for federal and federally assisted taxpayer-funded construction projects. In a letter sent earlier this week, the coalition stressed that such regulatory reform would create a level playing field in the procurement of government construction contracts, increase competition, curb construction costs and help small businesses grow.

ABC signed on to President Trump’s “Pledge to America’s Workers” at an event at the White House last week, committing to educating and developing at least 500,000 construction workers over the next five years. The pledge, which was signed by more than a dozen leading companies and industry trade associations, stressed the need to expand apprenticeship programs to educate current and future generations of America’s workforce.