On Dec. 15, the House and Senate passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, following negotiations to ensure passage of the bill before the end of the year. Notably, the NDAA agreement removed several harmful labor provisions opposed by ABC from the previous version of the bill passed only in the House. The provisions addressing debarment procedures for federal contractors, apprenticeship requirements and local hire mandates were stripped from the bill in an agreement between the two chambers.

ABC is pleased that the newly agreed text excludes these provisions, as it previously expressed concerns with the House-passed version of the bill in October and sent a letter with a coalition of construction and small business associations to Congress.