On Feb. 28, congressional Democrats reintroduced the ABC-opposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act (HR 20) in the 118th Congress. The bill is a wish list of radical labor policies that would infringe on workers and employers’ rights, diminish opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business owners and devastate the economy. The ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace is leading opposition to the bill.

On Feb. 27, ABC, along with members of the Waters Advocacy Coalition, penned a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee supporting H.J. Res 27, the Congressional Review Act disapproval of the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers’ 2023 revised Waters of the United States regulation.

A Notice of Funding Opportunity for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s fiscal year 2023 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program is set to close for applications on Feb. 28.

On Feb. 16, 24 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers seeking to overturn the final rule published by the agencies on Jan. 18 that revises the definition of Waters of the United States.

On Feb. 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration released its final rule establishing the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.

On Feb. 9, the Office of Management and Budget released a proposed rule to revise OMB’s Guidance for Grants and Agreements. This guidance defines the rules for federal agencies as they distribute funding through grant programs. The revisions would aid implementation of the Build America, Buy America Act provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

On Feb. 13, ABC submitted comments to the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council regarding a proposed rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require certain federal contractors to disclose their greenhouse gas emissio

On Feb. 8, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace filed an amicus brief in a case against Starbucks that is currently before the National Labor Relations Board, condemning the NLRB general counsel’s efforts to eliminate employer speech rights in union organizing drives as well as employees’ right to secret ballots in union representation elections. On Feb. 9, the CDW and four employer organizations filed an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in a case against Tesla over facially neutral dress code policies.

On Feb. 9, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2023-1, “Telework Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act,” which provides guidance to WHD field staff on how to ensure teleworking employees are properly paid and protected under the FLSA and how to apply eligibility rules under the FMLA.

On Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it will withdraw its proposal to reconsider and revoke final approval of Arizona’s state plan for occupational safety and health. As a result, the state’s plan will remain in place.