Late last week, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) continued its campaign to persuade the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to change the way it decides whether to forgive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of over $2M.  The specific target of AGC’s campaign is a Loan Necessity Questionnaire that has greatly surprised and frustrated the borrowers of such loans, as they now seek forgiveness of them.      

As construction continues to be an essential industry in helping our nation’s economic recovery, firms are fighting the growing workforce shortage and looking to recruit more women than ever before. Women are making an impact in the industry by bringing new skill sets, opinions, and experiences into the office and the field – and a diverse workforce leads to stronger companies. Yes, there are certainly challenges. But perceptions and cultures are changing.

Private Nonresidential Market Shrinks 10 Percent Since January 2020 with Declines in All 11 Segments; Growing Cancellations, Proposed Labor Law Change Threaten to Harm Employers and Workers Alike

Association Officials Urge Congress and Biden Administration to Focus on New Infrastructure Funding, Address Rising Materials Prices and Avoid Disruptive Measures like the PRO Act to Stem Sector Job Losses

ConsensusDocs is pleased to announce that Fox Rothschild LLP has joined as a contributor to the ConsensusDocs Construction Law Newsletter, which is one of the mostly widely distributed and used construction law resources in the industry.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring timely, relevant news to contractors, specialty contractors and construction insurance professionals through this leading industry newsletter,” said Dirk D. Haire, co-chair of the nationwide Construction Law Group at Fox Rothschild LLP.

Offering Undocumented Immigrants a Path to Legal Status Will Put an End to Unfair Competition and Labor Exploitation, But Bill Fails to Create a Construction Worker Visa Program, Has Other Flaws  

The Associated General Contractors of America’s chief executive officer, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the introduction in Congress today of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021:

National Association will Use Results to Push for Additional Relief Measures

AGC called on President Biden to take immediate steps to address soaring lumber prices, as well as rising costs for other construction materials. AGC CEO Steve Sandherr warned that rapidly rising lumber prices pose a growing threat to multifamily housing and other construction sectors. He urged the administration to work with domestic lumber producers to ramp up production to ease growing shortages.

Association Officials Call for Removing Tariffs on Key Materials to Provide Immediate Relief for Hard-Hit Contractors and Exploring Ways to Expand Long-Term Capacity for Steel, Lumber and Other Materials

The construction industry is raising awareness and encouraging open discussion about mental health and substance abuse to reduce suicide in the workforce.  The COVID-19 pandemic has added stress, anxiety, and fear to contractors’ already high risk of suicide.  We can all agree this is a scary subject and we need to address the public health crisis in our country.  But how do we heal our workforce?