Jon Cloud testified before EPA on California's proposed diesel retrofit rule.

AGC member Jon Cloud testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to explain how California's plan to require construction contractors to install emissions reduction kits on their off-road diesel equipment will endanger workers and force job cuts.

Cloud (J. Cloud, Inc., El Cajon, Calif.) and Guy Prescott, a representative of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local Union Three, asked EPA to deny or delay a decision to allow the state to proceed with its off-road rule.

Read AGC's press release here.

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.

Left to right: AGC's Marco Giamberardino, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Long Island Contractors Association executive director Marc Herbst, and Governor Ed Rendell (D-Pa.).

On January 21, a broad coalition of members of Congress, industry experts, and stakeholders called on Congress and the Obama Administration to create a National Infrastructure Bank to help fund infrastructure projects of regional and national importance.  AGC attended the event and stressed that the infrastructure bank concept must be part of a larger comprehensive approach to tackling infrastructure investment, including robust multi-year funding and significant regulatory reforms. It must also be created separate and apart from jobs legislation currently being drafted in the Senate.

The proposed National Infrastructure Bank would be designed to help improve the nation's roads and highways, bridges, ports, rail (freight and passenger), drinking and waste water treatment plants, smart grid, broadband and schools. AGC believes that an infrastructure bank should be capitalized with general fund revenue to assist individual or groups of states with financing, particularly for mega projects. Infrastructure bank financing should be available as low interest loans to help states finance projects or to assist in leveraging private funds.

For more information, contact Marco Giamberardino at (703) 837-5325 or giamberm@agc.org.

As Democratic Congressional leaders race to merge competing Senate and House health care reform proposals into one package, small employers in the construction industry remain the only employers explicitly targeted with removal from small business exemptions. All businesses with less than 50 employees are exempted from the employer mandate except construction firms.

The Las Vegas Sun explored this issue in today's business section, and included interviews with AGC and the Las Vegas Chapter of AGC. AGC has also created a letter on the Legislative Action Center for members to use to urge elected officials to remove the provision from the final bill.

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

President Obama convened a White House Summit on Thursday to discuss actions that can be taken to create jobs. Leaders from business, labor and state and local government, including former AGC president Doug Pitcock who served as AGC's representative, were invited to participate.

Following opening session comments by President Obama and Vice President Biden, the participants separated into breakout groups to discuss specific recommendations. At the breakout session titled "Creating Jobs through the Rebuilding of America's Infrastructure," Pitcock made the point that construction projects have the dual benefit of creating jobs in the short term and providing long-term economic benefits by producing assets that will be here for future generations.

Pitcock also said the project approval process needs to be streamlined so that projects can go to construction quicker. President Obama responded that he is an advocate for investing in infrastructure and understood the approval process needs improvement. He said he is pushing legislation to create a National Infrastructure Bank because he believes that major infrastructure investment needs financial support beyond the annual appropriations process. He also views the bank as a way to leverage private sector funds in support of infrastructure. Watch the session here.

The White House intends to use the recommendations from the Summit to craft a legislative proposal to address unemployment.

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

A new video advertisement from the Transportation Construction Coalition, co-chaired by AGC, highlights the findings of a new study that shows 22,000 Americans die each year on deficient roadways.

Watch the video here.

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

A new ad campaign, launched as part of a broad business community effort with AGC's support, explains some of the economic challenges various proposed health care "reform" efforts pose for employers nationwide.

View the new advertisement here, and write to Congress using AGC's Legislative Action Center.

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

AGC CEO Steve Sandherr appeared on Fox Business to discuss the results of AGC's recent stimulus survey.  Sandherr explained that the stimulus has helped AGC members save jobs, but has not significantly helped to add jobs, and that AGC has written to federal government agencies urging quicker disbursement of the stimulus funds.

Watch the video here.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 established an energy and renewable energy worker training program through a provision known as the Green Jobs Act, which would limit training grant funding only to entities that coordinate with labor organizations.  AGC is supportive of the creation of such a grant program as part of an effort to create an efficient and renewable energy-skilled workforce.  However, AGC believes that the opportunity to qualify for such grants should be open to all contractors, both union and open shop, with accredited training programs. 

Last week, the bill (S. 1238) was introduced in the Senate, and would open up the Green Jobs Act to allow any contractor, regardless of union affiliation, with an accredited training program to compete for grants under the Green Jobs Act.  This bill mirrors legislation introduced earlier this year in the House (H.R. 2026) by Congressman Jon Kline (R-Minn.).

 For more information, contact Kelly Knott at (202) 547-4685 or knottk@agc.org.

Last week the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee began the process of working through the 600 page draft health care reform bill.  The process began slowly and many Republican Senators are hung up on the preliminary cost estimate of the bill, which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will increase the federal budget deficit over the next ten years by $1 trillion. The agency added that the bill would leave 37 million Americans uninsured over that time.  The Committee had attempted to begin the multi-week review of the legislation with the less controversial components, however the costs of the program continues to dominate the debate. The committee has yet to address or offer draft legislation of a public plan or an employer mandate, which are expected to be the most contentious issues.

The Senate Finance Committee intended to begin debating their own version of health care reform legislation; however, leaders have delayed the debate until after the July 4th break. Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) will focus time on reining in the cost of the bill from a projected $1.6 trillion to under $1 trillion prior to working on the legislation.  It is expected that the Senate Finance Committee may produce the most bipartisan proposal of the ones Congress is contemplating.

Last week AGC sent a letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee outlining some issues to consider during the health care debate. Click here to view the letter.

For more information, contact Jim Young at (202) 547-2133 or youngj@agc.org.