On Wednesday, House Budget Committee approved 22-16, in a party-line vote, a draft fiscal 2015 budget resolution that would adhere to the discretionary budget authority of $1.014 trillion for fiscal 2015.  This budget calls for a number of pro-growth tax reform policies including:

U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno recently testified before the House Armed Services Committee in support of a new Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round in fiscal year 2017. With a reduction of some 200,000 active duty troops since the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and increased cuts, the Army representatives underscored the Department of Defense’s (DOD) deep desire and need to undergo a new BRAC round.

On April 2, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Commanding General Thomas Bostick and Assistant Secretary of the Army—Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy defended President Obama’s proposed nearly $1 billion cut to the Civil Works funding accounts in fiscal year (FY) 2015 before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Compared to the enacted FY 2014 funding levels for Civil Works programs, the president’s FY 2015 budget includes a $531 million cut to the construction account, a $261 million cut to the operation and maintenance account—which funds dredging and harbor maintenance projects—and a $62 million cut to the Mississippi River and Tributaries account—which funds construction and dredging projects in the lower Mississippi region.

This week, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for construction of a new hospital bed tower at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Department of Veterans Affairs, in Tampa, Fla.

Take Action: Urge Your U.S. Senators and Representative to Support H.R. 2751  On March 5, the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee unanimously approved by voice vote the Common Sense Construction Contracting Act of 2013, H.R. 2751, introduced by Representative Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.).  This legislation would essentially prohibit federal agencies from procuring construction services through reverse auctions.  This is the first major hurdle the bill had to jump before coming law. However, more hurdles remain ahead in the legislative process. Please take action and urge your U.S. Senators and Representative to support H.R. 2751.

Take Action: Visit AGC’s Legislative Action Center to Submit Your Comments Today On Sept. 12, 2013, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a proposed new rule on silica exposure. AGC members, chapters and interested stakeholders are encouraged to submit comment letters opposing the proposed new rule on silica exposure through the AGC Legislative Action Center (LAC). A sample, editable letter has been provided for your convenience and can be customized to your respective operations. Click here to access the letter. All comments must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) Feb. 11, 2014.

Raising Minimum Wage on Federal Contracts & Streamlining Permitting Process During Tuesday’s State of the Union, President Obama announced a host of planned executive orders. Most pertinent to the construction industry was: (1) a mandate to increase the minimum wage on federal contractors; and (2) another to streamline permitting processes for construction projects.

TAKE ACTION: Urge Your Congressman to Cosponsor H.R. 2750 With AGC support, there is hope for movement of the Design-Build Efficiency and Jobs Act of 2013, H.R. 2750, through Congress this year. H.R. 2750 would reasonably limit single-step design-build procurements and reasonably limit the number of second-step design-build finalists. Please, take action and urge your representative to cosponsor and support H.R. 2750.

AGC recently submitted testimony on the need for continued federal agency participation at construction stakeholder conferences for a Senate Homeland Security and Government Reform Committee hearing on the topic. Given a time when the national debt and deficit remain high, the federal government should consider sensible and reasonable cost-savings measures. That being said, Congress should also reconsider the slash-and-burn take on federal travel spending for non-government conferences. While such a policy has proven penny wise, AGC contends it is pound foolish and more reasonable approaches must be taken.

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to President Obama's State of the Union address: "It is encouraging that the president identified getting swift passage of both new long-term surface transportation and Water Resources Development bills as among his top priorities for the year.  We expect Congress will heed his call for action on these two critical pieces of legislation and will work aggressively to help ensure their swift passage.  We also expect that the administration's FY 2015 budget proposal will reflect the president's priorities and provide additional details about how to address chronic revenue shortfalls that once again threaten the viability of the Highway Trust Fund.