On May 28, as part of the Partnership for the Employer-Sponsored Coverage, ABC signed on to a letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee supporting legislation to combat surprise billing in health care and providing key insight on the committee’s draft proposals.

ABC’s Chesapeake Shores, Greater Baltimore and Metro Washington chapters collaborated with the University of Maryland, Baltimore to celebrate the graduation of 138 industry-registered construction apprentices representing six trades during a ceremony on May 22. 

On May 22, the Trump administration released its Spring 2019 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The agenda lists upcoming rulemakings and other regulatory actions from each agency that the administration expects to publish through the end of the year and into 2020.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be holding stakeholder webinars in June 2019 to provide an overview of its actions under the Revolutionize USACE Civil Works initiative.

ABC announced its support of S. 904, the Voluntary Protection Program Act (S. 904), introduced by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wy).  S. 904 would make the Department of Labor’s Voluntary Protection Program a permanent program.

On May 21, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division on its proposal to update and revise the 2016 “white collar” overtime exemption regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

On May 14, the U.S. Department of Labor announced an extension of the comment periods of its regular rate and joint employer proposals to June 12, 2019, and June 25, 2019, respectively.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs launched a new webpage with resources for contractors who may undergo an OFCCP compliance check.

On May 8, ABC submitted a letter to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee regarding the hearing, “Paid Family and Medical Leave: Helping Workers and Employers Succeed.” In the letter, ABC expressed concern over proposed legislation that would mandate employers to provide 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave funded through a new payroll tax on employers and employees.

On May 9, the White House held a summit on protecting Americans from surprise medical billing, which occurs when insured patients incur unexpected charges after receiving treatment from out-of-network health care providers. On April 2, ABC joined a broad-based coalition in a letter to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions to hold a hearing to examine surprise billing.