On Dec. 13, ABC sent a letter to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce prior to its markup of key bills impacting the construction industry.

The letter highlights ABC’s support for H.R. 6655, the bipartisan A Stronger Workforce for America Act, which would reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act for the first time since 2014 and includes several ABC-backed provisions that support an all-of-the-above approach to workforce development, ensures more dollars for tangible worker programs, better aligns programs with in-demand jobs, and allows for better evaluation of WIOA programs. ABC also supported the committee’s markup of H.J. Res. 98, a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Biden administrations harmful joint employer final rule, and H.R. 3400, the Small Business Before Bureaucrats Act, to modernize the National Labor Relations Board’s decades old jurisdictional standards to exempt more small businesses from their regulatory overreach. ABC’s letter also expresses concerns with H.R. 6585, the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act, which, while seeking to expand Pell Grants to high-quality, short-term workforce programs, could exclude some vital construction workforce education and upskilling programs.

ABC also joined with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace to comment on the Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing. The hearing examined the ABC-supported Employee Rights Act (H.R. 2700), Modern Worker Empowerment Act (H.R. 5513), and Save Local Business Act (H.R. 2826), which are designed to protect workers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and the economy from a rogue National Labor Relations Board.

On Sept. 20, ABC submitted comments to the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development hearing titled, “Strengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for Jobseekers, Employers, and Taxpayers.” ABC’s letter calls on the committee to pursue policies that recognize the unique challenges facing the construction industry and provide employers with the tools they need to access a well-educated and dedicated workforce.

On Sept. 20, ABC submitted comments to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing titled, “Oversight of the Department of Transportation’s Policies and Programs.” The hearing featured testimony and questions with DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg. ABC commented on specific DOT policies that the department is pursuing outside of congressional authorization/intent such as the significant number of Biden administration federal agency grants – totaling more than $230 billion for infrastructure projects procured by state and local governments – subject to language and policies promoting PLA mandates and preferences that will increase costs and reduce competition on federally assisted construction projects. ABC also provided comments on the ABC-opposed union labor requirements on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. The DOT NEVI Formula Program will implement provisions of the IIJA that includes $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations (including $5 billion over five years to install EV chargers mostly along interstate highways).

On Sept. 20, ABC also submitted comments to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s markup of S. 2840, the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act, in support of an amendment offered by Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, R-La., that would ensure funds for construction and renovation of community health centers and other health care facilities are not subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements. The amendment faced defeat in the Democrat-controlled committee and was offered and withdrawn.

On September 13, ABC submitted comments to the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing titled, “The Inflation Reduction Act: A Year in Review.” ABC’s letter expressed our concerns about anti-competitive and inflationary policy in the IRA that grants developers of clean energy construction projects a bonus tax credit 500% greater than a baseline tax credit of 6% conditioned on satisfying controversial prevailing wage and government-registered apprenticeship requirements.

On June 26, ABC submitted comments to the House Education and the Workforce Committee following the committee’s hearing titled: “Competencies Over Degrees: Transitioning to a Skills-Based Economy.” ABC’s letter offers recommendations as the committee considers the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in the 118th Congress and encourages the committee to enact policies that would provide further opportunities for all of America’s workers as we face a critical workforce shortage in the construction industry.

The hearing focused on key issues impacting today’s workforce, including the value of registered and industry recognized apprenticeships, Pell Grants, skills assessments and credentials. You may view the full committee hearing here.

On May 9, ABC led a coalition of small business and construction organizations in a letter expressing concerns with new recommendations to the U.S. Department of Labor from the DOL’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship.

On May 10, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship voted to approve recommendations to the DOL for potential revisions to the National Apprenticeship System. The ACA is an advisory body comprised of representatives from industries, labor organizations and other members of the public that provides advice to the agency on government-registered apprenticeship programs. These recommendations will inform the DOL’s upcoming proposed rule revising the GRAP system, currently targeted for June 2023.

Included in the recommendations are suggestions for the DOL to establish a new “Quality Seal” program for GRAPs. Programs would be required to meet certain wage requirements, completion rates and apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios in order to receive the Quality Seal and accompanying preferential treatment for federal funding of GRAPs. Employer participants in Quality Seal GRAPs would receive preferential treatment in the bidding and awarding of federal and federally assisted construction projects. Additionally, some members of the ACA recommended that all GRAPs should be required to guarantee graduates such wages deemed “family-sustaining” by the DOL.

This week, U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Va., reintroduced the ABC-opposed National Apprenticeship Act. ABC sent a letter to the Committee on April 27 highlighting concerns with the proposal and urging better access to apprenticeship opportunities for all of America’s workers.

While this bill has been proposed as a way to expand apprenticeship opportunities in America, in practice, the bill would limit access to apprenticeships for non-union employers and limit the flexibility of apprenticeship programs throughout the country. ABC key voted against this ill-advised apprenticeship bill on the House floor last Congress, when the Democratic majority pushed the bill through a vote of 247-173. Dr. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the Committee Chairwoman, opposed the bill last Congress, and with Republicans in control of the Committee and the House it is not likely to receive a floor vote.