Only a few days remain until the current highway and public transit law – the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act – expires on September 30. AGC is cautiously optimistic that Congress will extend the FAST Act for one-year (through fiscal year 2021). The extension would likely be considered as part of legislation to temporarily fund the federal government, known as a continuing resolution (CR). However, there is one outstanding issue that key negotiators need to resolve. They need to decide how much money should be deposited into the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) so that it can support the funding levels in the extension. Making this decision more complicated is the fact that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which monitor the overall financial health of the HTF, differ significantly on the amount of money required.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted revisions to regulations that implemented the paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The revisions come as a result of a federal court decision that found portions of the regulations invalid.

Pre-Conference Federal Construction HR Workshop Returns

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) published new frequently asked questions (FAQs) for workers and employers about qualifying for paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) related to the reopening of schools.

On Sept. 9, AGC helped lead an ad hoc coalition of 88 national trade associations and labor unions in calling on Congressional leaders to take action on three priorities: (1) a turn-key, one-year extension of the current surface transportation law—the FAST Act—with increased investment levels; (2) emergency federal funding for state departments of transportation and public transit agencies—$37 billion and $32 billion, respectively; and (3) provisions to ensure solvency of the Highway Trust Fund for the duration of the extension at a minimum. This broad coalition initiative is an essential component of AGC’s ongoing effort to demonstrate to Congress the strong, groundswell of support for action on these priorities.

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Postponed and Canceled Projects Proliferate, Yet Majority of Firms Report Difficulty Filling Hourly Craft Positions; Officials Urge Immediate Federal Action to Fund Infrastructure and Enact Liability Reforms

Sixty Percent of Firms Report Future Projects Have Been Canceled or Delayed, But 52 Percent of Firms Struggle to Find Craft Workers Amid Worker Fears of COVID and Unemployment Supplement