ABC filed an appeal May 27 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the U.S. District Court’s March 2014 ruling against ABC. At the District Court level ABC argued that an Aug. 27 rule from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that drastically alters federal contractors’ existing affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations for individuals with disabilities exceeded the scope of the agency’s statutory authority, and altered longstanding precedent.

According to OSHA’s latest semiannual regulatory agenda, released May 23, the agency plans to issue a final rule on confined spaces in 2014. The regulatory agenda lists the priorities of the administration and the rulemakings they expect to release this year; however, OSHA is not required to adhere to the timeline.

According to its latest regulatory agenda released May 23, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) plans to finalize its controversial “persuader” final rule by December 2014, which severely narrows long-standing reporting exemptions for employers and third-party experts, and redefines labor relations “advice.”  

ABC May 28 sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Education and the Workforce Committee urging passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA represents an important opportunity to improve our workforce development system by increasing local business input in developing job training programs and improving access to federal funding for non-union training programs.

Each year, many ABC member companies make the list of Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) Top 400 Contractors list. In 2014, 55 ABC members were placed in the top 100 contractors on the list.

ABC announced May 21 that the Executive Committee appointed Ray Zamora, president and owner of AnchorBuilt Inc. in Albuquerque N.M., as the new Mountain West Region Vice Chairman.

In an informal public hearing May 19, Steve Wiltshire, vice president and director of corporate safety at ABC member company, ECS Corporate Services, LLC, testified on behalf of ABC on the issue of a proposed rulemaking to extend the compliance date for the crane operator certification requirement by three years to Nov. 10, 2017.

Charles "Chuck" Lavin Jr., one of the founders of the ABC Yankee Chapter, passed away April 19 after a long illness. Lavin was born in Baltimore, Md., in 1940, and served as the first executive director of the ABC Yankee Chapter, which encompassed the six New England states, from its inception in 1968 until 1980.

Associated Builders and Contractors, along with more than 40 other leading business organizations, sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) requesting they extend the public comment period on a proposed rule that aims to clarify the definition of “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The organizations are asking for 90 days beyond the current deadline or 90 days after the EPA releases the final connectivity report, whichever date comes later.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Treasury recently issued frequently asked questions on provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).