On July 14, ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ outlined its priorities for the bipartisan infrastructure package to the group of bipartisan senators who are drafting the legislation. In addition to significant investments in physical infrastructure, ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ calls for investing in the construction workforce, streamlining the federal environmental review and permitting process, improving the construction supply chain, as well as ensuring provisions restricting the expansion of highway capacity are not included. ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ and industry stakeholders continue to meet with the Senate offices working on this legislation to highlight construction industry priorities. The timing for when the legislation will be released and ultimately voted on continues to be unclear. However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the Senate will push to vote on it before the chamber breaks for the August recess.
ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ recently submitted extensive comments on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft 2022 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit and supporting materials, based on member input.
Unprecedented price increases for a wide range of goods and services used in construction pushed up contractors’ costs by a devastating 26.3 percent from June 2020 to June 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials cautioned that rising materials prices are making it difficult for many construction firms to benefit from the re-opening of the economy, undermining the sector’s ability to add new, high-paying jobs.
Each year the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ Education and Research Foundation offers undergraduate and graduate level scholarships to students enrolled in ABET or ACCE accredited construction management or construction related engineering programs. The application opened July 1, 2021 and closes November 1, 2021.
Event Will Take Place on October 13th in St. Louis, Missouri
Construction employment declined by 7,000 between May and June as the industry still employs 238,000 fewer people than before the pandemic, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said that job losses in the nonresidential construction sector offset modest monthly gains in residential construction as many firms struggle with worker shortages, supply chain disruptions and rising materials prices.
The deadline to submit and certify 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data HAS BEEN CHANGED. The new filing deadline is NOW Monday, August 23, 2021. After delaying the opening of the 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 Data Collections on May 8, 2020, in light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the opening of the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection on April 26, 2021.
Despite the ongoing recovery from the pandemic, the construction industry is expected to experience low unemployment with little expectation that the current domestic workforce can alone meet future employment demand. Compounding the workforce challenges in the industry, currently the nation’s system provides the high-tech sector, agricultural businesses, and seasonal employers with options for legal, work authorized immigrants however it does not for the construction Industry. On June 30, the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥-backed Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act was recently introduced in the House and would allow contractors to hire year-round construction guest workers, who otherwise have no legal immigration avenue; provide industries, like construction, access to new temporary workers while protecting American jobs; and, alleviate incentives for individuals to illegally enter the country.
On July 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act, a $715 billion federal investment in America’s roads, bridges, transit, passenger rail, and drinking and wastewater infrastructure. ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ lobbied against several of the policies included in the bill. However, its passage in the House is a first step towards enacting record levels of federal investment in infrastructure. It continues to remain unclear how this legislation will intersect with larger infrastructure package negotiations between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators. The ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ summary of the INVEST in America Act can be viewed here. ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ will continue to push for policy improvements to the bill.
Construction Officials Urge Federal Officials to Allow Unemployment Supplements to Expire, Take Steps to address Supply-Chain Backups and Remove Tariffs on Key Materials so Firms can Perform More Work