Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) recently introduced the “Government Neutrality in Contracting Act” (S. 71) in the Senate. This legislation would prohibit federal contracting agencies from mandating that contractors and unions enter project labor agreements (PLAs) on direct federal projects. In addition, the bill would preserve the right of contractors and unions to voluntarily negotiate and execute project labor agreements on federal projects, if they so choose.

On Dec. 16, as part of the tax extenders legislation, the Senate passed a provision that would increase a fuel tax to benefit inland waterway lock and dam construction and maintenance projects. The provision would raise the fuel tax from 20 cents to 29 cents per gallon on barges using the inland waterway system and will take effect after April 1, 2015. For the last several years, AGC has worked with a coalition of commercial barge, agricultural and labor interests in pressing for this increase in inland waterways infrastructure funding.

Passage Expected in Senate This afternoon, the House of Representatives passed a $1.1 trillion funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2015 by a vote of 219-206.  The bill funds most of the government through September 2015.  The House will also takes steps to allow the Senate time to vote while avoiding a government shutdown at midnight tonight.  In addition to funding the government, the bill included many policy riders. 

Design-Build and Reverse Auction Reforms Pass House & Senate On Dec. 12, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (NDAA) bill, which includes AGC-supported provisions on design-build and reverse auction procurement reform impacting Department of Defense construction contractors. The House passed the same NDAA bill last week and it now moves to President Obama for his signature into law, which is expected.

Design-Build and Reverse Auction Reforms Move Forward On Dec. 2, the House and Senate Armed Services released the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (NDAA) bill, which includes AGC-supported provisions on design-build and reverse auction procurement reform impacting Department of Defense construction contractors.  The bill was considered by the House yesterday and is expected to be considered by the Senate later this week or early next week. Reports indicate that this bill will likely be enacted before Congress adjourns this year.

Supports Increased Investment in Lock & Dam Infrastructure On Dec. 3, the House of Representatives passed a provision that would increase a fuel tax that benefits inland waterway lock and dam construction and maintenance projects. The provision would raise the fuel tax from 20 cents to 29 cents per gallon on barges using the inland waterway system.  This excise tax revenue is deposited into the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The tax increase would be effective for fuel used after April 1, 2015.

Take Action: Urge Your Senators to Prohibit Construction Reverse Auctions Many states already have laws prohibiting reverse auctions for construction services. However, those laws do not prevent federal agencies from conducting reverse auctions in those states. And federal agencies, like the Departments of Veterans Affairs and the Interior, are increasingly turning to reverse auction procurement for construction services, which include million dollar building renovations, national park road construction, and material supply. Please urge your senators to prohibit federal agencies from procuring construction services through reverse auctions.

Recently, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest for design-build construction of a Special Forces Support Activity Operations Facility at the U.S. Navy’s Silver Strand Training Complex in Imperial Beach, Calif.

Recently, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest for a design-build construction project to decentralize the steam heating system at Naval Base San Diego, Calif.

On August 8, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, if implemented, will require covered federal contractors and subcontractors to submit an annual Equal Pay Report on employee compensation.