Recently the U.S. Department of Education announced that $44 billion for states and schools is now available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  More information on from this agency and others is available on AGC's Stimulus at Work Web site, www.agc.org/stimulus. 

The funding announced by the Department of Education includes $32.6 billion under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which is two-thirds of the total dollars in the fund.  The remaining funds will be released later in the year.  A state-by-state breakdown on this initial release of funds can be found here.  Detailed information on education funding in the stimulus package can be found here.  

Details on stimulus funding for school construction, modernization, renovation and repair can be found in Section V (pages 33-37) of the Department of Education's "Guidance on the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program."  The Department's "School Modernization" page can be found here.

For more information contact Mike Stark at starkm@agc.org or (703) 837-5365.

June 10-13, 2009, Hot Springs, Va.

Register today for the AGC Building Contractors Conference, June 10-13 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Va.  Join top building construction professionals, owners, specialty contractors and service & supply companies as they discuss the current market, the challenges it presents and the innovative solutions that industry-leading firms are implementing. 

Planned program highlights & topics for the AGC Building Contractors Conference include:

• Guiding your firm through tough economic times,
• How owners plan to address their construction needs in this market,
• Creative service offerings that customers need in a tight economy,
• The best ways to "right size" your staff,
• Best practices and important topics such as BIM, Green Construction, and Integrated Project Delivery, and
• Networking opportunities including a luncheon, evening receptions, and a golf tournament.

Interested in sponsoring the AGC Building Contractors Conference and showcasing your firm before owners and leaders of this market?  Click here for available sponsorship opportunities!

For more information and to register, visit www.agc.org/homestead. 

At AGC's 90th Annual Convention, Michael Kenig, Vice Chair of Holder Construction in Atlanta, Ga., became chairman of the AGC Building Division. Dirk Elsperman of Tarlton Corp. in St. Louis, Mo., completed his term at the Convention. Mike is a member of the AGC Executive Board, recently served as Division Vice Chairman, previously led the Project Delivery Committee and has been involved in numerous AGC and industry initiatives throughout his career. Paul Hoffman, President of Hoffman, LLC in Appleton, Wis., was elected as Division Vice Chair.

Other AGC Building Division leadership changes include:

• Rick Andritsch, VJS Construction Services, Pewaukee, Wis., chair, Construction Marketing Committee.
• Steve Kimball, Kimball Construction Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., chair, Industry Liaison Committee.
• Doug Maibach, Barton Malow Co., Southfield, Mich., chair, Project Delivery Committee.

A special thank you to Dirk Elsperman, Terry Wooding, Chuck Greco and Mike Kenig for their service to AGC. For more information about the Building Division, including information about the upcoming Building Contractors Conference, June 10-13 in Hot Springs, Va., please visit www.agc.org/building.

John Tocci Sr., chair of the AGC BIMForum, was named one of the Top 25 Newsmakers of 2008 by Engineering News-Record (ENR) in its January 12, 2009 issue.  John Tocci is the Chief Enabling Officer of Tocci Building Companies in Woburn, Mass., and has been an active member of AGC on the local and national levels for many years.

Tocci has served as chair of the AGC BIMForum since 2006 and is a member of AGC's Private/Public Industry Advisory Council (PIAC).

Click here to view the ENR article.

For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.

More than 120 attendees participated in the AGC Building Contractors Conference held January 7-10 in La Quinta, Calif.  This conference brought together many of the top building construction firms, service and supply companies, design professionals and owners.  Attendees benefited from presentations and discussions on topics such as Integrated Project Delivery, the economic outlook, diversity, surety issues, green building construction, contract documents and renewable energy, in addition to networking opportunities with colleagues at evening receptions, luncheons, and the golf tournament.   

The luncheon featured keynote speaker Steve Sandherr, AGC CEO, who provided an update on the economic stimulus proposals and other tax, labor and environmental issues that are important to building contractors, as well as an overview of the new Administration and 111^th Congress.  

The AGC BIMForum Meeting was also held in La Quinta January 8-9 with the theme "The Path to IPD."  More than 170 attendees actively participated in two full days of presentations and working sessions.  For more information about the AGC BIMForum, please go to www.bimforum.org.  

Don't forget to save the dates for the next AGC Building Contractors Conference June 10-13, 2009, at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Va., and the AGC BIMForum Meeting May 28-29, 2009, at the Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas in Dallas, Texas.

For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.

An AGC-led coalition of more than 16 organizations in the building design and construction industry sent two letters two Congress and the President-elect last week. The first letter focused on including infrastructure investment in a stimulus and the identified needs in the different building markets.  The coalition also sent a letter of tax incentives that would stimulate the economy, improve energy efficiency, and create job opportunities in a stimulus package.

To view the letters or to view the broad based organizations in the building design and construction industry that signed the letters follow the links: Tax Letter, Infrastructure Letter.

In addition, the coalition placed an advertisement Wednesday in Roll Call, the widest-read publication on Capitol Hill.

If you have any questions please contact Jeff Shoaf at (202) 547-3350 or shoafj@agc.org.

On January 15, the House Democratic Leadership announced details of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Details of the $825 billion package were released by the House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees. The total package consists of $275 billion in economic recovery tax cuts and $550 billion in targeted investments, coupled with several unprecedented accountability measures. AGC estimates that approximately $150 billion of the spending proposed in this bill would benefit the construction industry.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said today that she hoped Congressional Committees would take up the bill late next week, with the goal of sending a final product to the White House by mid-February. According to House Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.), this package would create and save 3 to 4 million jobs and jumpstart our economy.

In many instances, funds would be distributed through existing formulas. How funds are spent, all announcements of contract and grant competitions and awards, and formula grant allocations must be posted on an open government web site. Governors, mayors or others making funding decisions must personally certify that the investment has been fully vetted and is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. A Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board would also be created to review management of recovery dollars and provide early warning of problems. Federal and state whistleblowers who report fraud and abuse are protected. Finally, there are no earmarks in this package.

The House Ways and Means Committee's $275 billion tax package would provide tax, health and other benefits to American families, as well as incentives for businesses to grow and create jobs.  Highlights in the package benefiting the construction industry include: 

• One-year deferral of the 3 percent withholding law from 2011 to 2012
• Bonus depreciation
• 5-year carry-back of net operating losses
• Extension of increased small business expensing
• Repeal AMT limits on new private activity bonds
• School construction bonds
• Remove repayment requirement on $7,500 first-time homebuyer credit
• Tax exempt and tax credit bonds to "recovery zones" (i.e., areas of high unemployment, foreclosures or poverty)
• Various energy efficiency tax incentives and bonds

 AGC's CEO Stephen Sandherr released a statement indicating that the newly released details of the proposed stimulus package provide encouraging signs that Congress is willing to make significant, but essential, investments needed to rebuild our aging infrastructure and inefficient public buildings while repairing America's ailing economy.  However, he pointed out that in an environment where almost 900,000 construction workers have lost their jobs, the construction community has the capacity to do even more work than is currently being considered. 

AGC is continuing to meet with House and Senate leaders to increase the proposed investments in infrastructure in the draft package and enact the bill as soon as possible.

 To view a copy of the House Appropriations Committee Plan, click here.

To view a copy of the House Ways and Means Committee Plan, click here.

To view AGC's analysis of the bill, click here. 

For more information, please visit www.agc.org/cs/economic_stimulus.  Contact Marco Giamberardino at (703) 837-5325 or giamberm@agc.org or Karen Bachman Lapsevic at (202) 547-4733 or bachmank@agc.org.

The AGC will lead a new coalition to advocate for measures to get important building projects moving again.  The coalition, which includes the American Institute of Architects and a range of specialty contractor associations, will begin its work by focusing on ensuring the next stimulus includes funding to modernize aging and inefficient public buildings.  The group also will encourage Congress and the next Administration to consider tax incentives to stimulate new private-sector building projects. 

For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.

The AGC Building Contractors Conference (formerly called the AGC Building Division Meeting) is scheduled for January 7-10, 2009 at the La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, CA (www.laquintaresort.com).  The Building Contractors Conference brings together many of the top building construction firms, service and supply companies, design professionals, BIM leaders, and owners who will hear presentations and discussions on topics such as Integrated Project Delivery and the economic and political outlook for the building construction industry.  Attendees will also enjoy social events such as continental breakfasts, luncheons, evening receptions, and a golf tournament.  

The hotel cut-off date is December 12.  Don't wait…go to www.agc.org/laquinta for more information and to register, or contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.