On May 27, ABC joined more than 200 organizations calling on Congress to quickly enact temporary and targeted liability relief legislation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort spearheaded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

On May 26, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the OSHA Alliance Program issued an updated list of COVID-19 resources from various federal and state agencies and nongovernment organizations.

On April 30, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2020-32 which clarified that “no deduction is allowed under the Internal Revenue Code for an expense that is otherwise deductible if the payment of the expense results in forgiveness of a covered loan pursuant to section 1106(b) of the CARES Act. 

These past couple months, ABC has explored opportunities to provide leadership in the construction technology and innovation sector. With the guidance of Matt Abeles, ABC’s new vice president of construction technology and innovation, ABC has been featured in industry webinars, podcasts, news stories and speaking engagements about this topic.

On May 19, President Trump signed the Executive Order, “Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery,” which encourages federal agencies to review burdensome regulations in order to jumpstart the economy and get Americans back to work.

Merit shop contractors are typically wary of competing for taxpayer-funded construction contracts which are subject to government-mandated project labor agreements. Often their main concern is the viability of defined benefit multiemployer pension plans which expose their business to potentially catastrophic MEPP liability. I

While ABC is pleased with Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 emergency and strengthen the American economy through the Paycheck Protection Program, members have raised concerns about current guidance and requirements.

On May 19, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the availability of $11.5 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants for various nonprofit organizations, including employer associations, labor unions and joint labor/management associations, including as ABC chapters. Grant applications must be submitted through grants.gov

On May 13, former Navy pilot and defense executive Mike Garcia (R) scored an impressive 10-point victory to win California’s 25th Congressional District after Democrat Kristy Smith conceded the race.

As ABC continues working to secure clear guidance on Paycheck Protection Program loans, we are also collecting information on issues members have confronted while seeking loans to provide critical pay and benefits for their employees. ABC urges members to send any personal stories they are comfortable sharing on their experience with the loan program by emailing [email protected].