At ¶¶Òõapp's National and Chapter Leadership Conference, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) took time out of his busy schedule, even as he was negotiating a critical government funding bill, to address association leaders. Despite the high-stakes environment on Capitol Hill, Johnson made it a priority to be with the ¶¶Òõapp attendees, recognizing the vital role the construction industry plays in job creation and economic growth. His presence and message were a clear sign of his commitment to advancing policies that support construction professionals and the broader economy.
On Wednesday, September 25th, ¶¶Òõapp of America welcomed ¶¶Òõapp chapter government relations staff from across the country to ¶¶Òõapp’s annual Government Relations Summit. The summit provides an opportunity for ¶¶Òõapp chapters to discuss the top government relations issues they are facing back home. Over twenty chapters were represented at the summit, which was held at ¶¶Òõapp of America’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
¶¶Òõapp is excited to announce that Speaker Mike Johnson has agreed to speak to ¶¶Òõapp Leadership later this month. Every year ¶¶Òõapp holds the National Chapter Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. The event is designed for Chapter Presidents, Vice Presidents and Chapter Executives, to provide ¶¶Òõapp chapter leaders a forum to network, discuss challenges and share real solutions with other chapter officers.
Next week the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are set to return from their August recess and will immediately begin debate on funding the federal government before current funding expires at the end of September. As ¶¶Òõapp has previously reported, this is one of the last must pass items on the agenda ahead of the November elections.
On August 2, 2024, ¶¶Òõapp of America filed an amicus brief in a case concerning the scope of the "building and construction industry" exemption from multiemployer pension fund withdrawal liability under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The case, Walker Specialty Construction, Inc. v. Construction Industry & Laborers Joint Pension Trust for Southern Nevada et al. is pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The brief supports Walker Specialty Construction’s (Walker) argument that demolition and abatement work fall within the exemption.
In the last few years there has been a lot of action on environmental review and permitting reform. Whether it is new rules issued by the Biden Administration or reforms pushed by Congress, ¶¶Òõapp has all of the details to help you understand them.
Successful Outcome Could Block Federal Officials from Including Project Labor Agreement (PLA) Mandate in Projects Valued over $35 million
The Associated General Contractors of America (¶¶Òõapp) celebrates a significant legal victory in its ongoing efforts to protect members from overreaching federal regulations. On June 24, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Lubbock granted ¶¶Òõapp’s motion for a nationwide preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking ¶¶Òõapp-challenged provisions to a rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) expanding coverage of the Davis-Bacon Act.