Construction employment in forty-nine states and the District of Columbia declined between February 2009 and February 2010, according to AGC's analysis of federal employment data. As construction job losses extend into their third year, the new data highlights the need to expand the Build America Bond program, AGC noted.

Read AGC's release here.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

AGC president Ted Aadland and past president Doug Pruitt discussed the importance of working together toward common goals during a recent interview for Engineering News-Record.

Read the article here.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

Construction employment continued to shrink in most American communities as 313 out of 337 metro areas lost construction jobs between January 2009 and January 2010, according to a new analysis of federal employment figures released by AGC. The figures underscore just how hard hit the construction industry has been nationwide, association officials noted.

Read AGC's press release here. The news was covered by the Phoenix Business Journal, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oregon's KDRV TV and the Idaho Business Review, among others.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

AGC Charities' first-ever national Operation Opening Doors event took place in Orlando on March 16.  AGC member and student chapter volunteers, with the help of Turner Construction and several other AGC member companies, renovated the homes of two Orlando-area disabled veterans, installing handicap-accessible showers and toilets, tiling floors and painting.

View photos of the event here.

iBEAM Construction Cameras documented the transformation of Korean War veteran Sergeant Major Nestor Ortiz's bathroom, which volunteers made wheelchair-accessible.

The news was covered by the Orlando Sentinel.  Read more here.

The construction workforce was smaller in every state and the District of Columbia in January 2010 than it was just 12 months earlier, according to a new analysis of federal data released Wednesday by AGC.

The data indicated just how widespread the construction downturn is, AGC's chief economist Ken Simonson said, noting that 38 states and D.C. experienced a double digit percentage drop in construction employment.

Read the press release here. The news was covered by the Associated Press, Salt Lake Tribune, and Orlando Business Journal, among others.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

As President Obama and Democratic Leaders regroup from the White House summit on Health Care Reform, they have begun plotting a strategy and timeline for passage. It appears that the Democrats are considering moving the legislation at an accelerated pace, perhaps beginning as early as this week. In order to accomplish this aggressive timeline, they likely will have to pass the Senate bill and also utilize the politically toxic legislative process known as reconciliation. Meanwhile, AGC is part of a coalition that is urging Congress to rethink its current approach to health care reform.

The outcome of the process and final legislative package remains unknown at this time and some Democrats who initially opposed the legislation are being strongly urged to reconsider their vote by the Democratic leadership in order to ensure they have enough votes for passage in the House.

AGC has considerable concerns with both the process being utilized to enact this sweeping reform of the nation's health care system, as well as the policies in the bills. AGC has long advocated for health care reform that allows employers to provide affordable and quality coverage for their employees, but the current bills and policy changes being trumpeted by Democratic leaders fail to accomplish these goals.  In addition, AGC and other business groups are launching an advertising campaign that pushes for employer-friendly health care reforms.

In addition to concerns with rising taxes on individuals and employers, future projected increases on insurance premiums and mandates on employers, AGC remains opposed to singling out the construction industry. The original Senate bill excluded small employers in the construction industry from the small business exemption. While the outline released from the White House last week does not mention this provision, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has not voiced his opposition to it.

Please communicate with your members of Congress on health care reform and specifically on the construction industry employer provision by using the AGC Legislative Action Center.

For more information, contact Jim Young at (202) 547-0133 or youngj@agc.org.

The construction unemployment rate jumped to 27.1 percent and construction employment dropped to a 14-year low as another 64,000 construction workers lost jobs in February, according to federal employment figures released Friday.  AGC found that the economy would have added jobs for the third time in four months had it not been for declines in construction employment.

Read AGC's press release here. The news was covered in the Christian Science Monitor, LA Times, Orange County Register, Miami Herald, Chicago Sun Times and the Kansas City Business Journal, among others.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

Tom Foss (Griffith Company, Brea, Calif.) testified on transportation investments before Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Tom Foss, president of Griffith Company, Brea, Calif., presented AGC testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee on the importance of transportation investments to the national economy.

Foss emphasized that the construction industry, like other businesses, relies on a well-functioning transportation system for delivery of materials and products to job sites and, therefore, called for increased investment. Foss pointed out that unemployment in the construction industry is currently more than 24 percent and that additional highway and transportation investment is needed to remedy this situation. AGC's testimony pointed out that transportation funding in the stimulus legislation has saved construction jobs, but that more funding was needed. Foss also called for enactment of a long term SAFETEA-LU reauthorization with increased funding to bring long-term economic growth and certainty to the highway construction market. EPW Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said she is committed to getting a six-year highway bill completed this year. She called the hearing the first step in accomplishing this goal.

For more information, contact Brian Deery at (703) 837-5319 or deeryb@agc.org.

Meet the two veterans who AGC Charities will help on March 16 in Orlando, Fla., as part of the first ever national Operation Opening Doors project.

Watch the video here.

WWII veteran Harding Cox and Korean War Veteran Nestor Ortiz need your help to make their homes accessible. To find out how you can help, contact Nahee Rosso at (703) 837-5348 or rosson@agc.org.

Construction spending in January fell by $5.5 billion to $884 billion, its lowest level since June 2003, according to AGC's analysis of new federal figures. Declining investments in private-sector non-residential construction and public construction at all levels of government drove the decline, AGC's chief economist Ken Simonson said.

Read AGC's press release here.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.