AGC joined over 220 businesses, and national, state and local organizations representing millions of American workers and their families in support of the Commonsense Reporting Act.  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) currently requires employers and insurers to report complex information about health insurance coverage to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at the end of the tax year. The bipartisan, bicameral Commonsense Reporting Act would provide consumers with help during the annual health coverage open enrollment process, employers with relief from the burdensome reporting requirements, and Exchanges with an additional tool to verify tax credit and subsidy eligibility.
For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected] or (202) 547-0133 Claiborne Guy at [email protected] or 703-837-5382.

October 17-19 in Arlington, VA
This unique three–day course provides construction safety and health professionals with the next–level knowledge required to successfully manage a company–wide safety program. Moving beyond the basics of Focus Four training, AGC’s Advanced Safety Management Training Program will give participants a more holistic view of safety’s role in project and company success, as well as advanced tactics and best practices for managing all aspects of a corporate safety program. Participants will also focus on the importance of "selling" safety throughout the organization and methods to generate buy–in from different audiences. Full details on the course and links to registration can be found here.

July 25-27 in Indianapolis, IN
The 2018 Summer Safety & Health Conference will take place July 25-27, 2018 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, IN. Join more than 250 industry professionals and participate in the development of regulatory and legislative activity on both a national and local level; assist in the development and creation of new safety training programs and products; and hear the latest initiatives from OSHA and other industry experts. Full details on the Conference and links to registration and the hotel room block can be found here.

In the push to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by the end of 2017, the tax writers made a few drafting errors that will require a “technical correction.” One correction that affects the commercial real estate industry is a provision on Qualified Improvement Property (QIP).  QIP is generally the improvements to the interiors of existing nonresidential buildings, and used to be known as “restaurant, retail, and leasehold” improvement property.
In previous years, Congress – with broad bipartisan support – reduced the depreciation period for QIP from 39 years to 15 years. AGC also strongly supported this effort. The provision was extended on a temporary basis for many years until it became permanent in 2015.
Unfortunately, due to a pure drafting error in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the depreciation schedule for QIP was accidentally increased from 15 years back to 39 years.  AGC recently called on Congress to fix this mistake, and is working with an ad hoc coalition of affected groups to get this fixed as soon as possible.
For more information contact Matthew Turkstra at [email protected], or (202) 547-4733.

Trump Administration Recently Delayed Implementation of the Rule Until 2020
As the Trump Administration faces the long task to “repeal and replace” the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, district courts have become the latest battleground.  On June 8, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued an injunction on the 2015 rule, effectively shielding 11 states as their challenge of the rule moves through the court.  An existing injunction has been in place since 2015 covering 13 other states, bringing the total number of states protected by an injunction to twenty-four.  District courts are also handling requests for injunctions in Ohio and Texas.
Meanwhile, environmental groups filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California on June 13 (joining cases in New York and South Carolina) to challenge the administration’s recent rule to delay applicability of the 2015 rule by two years.  Although the 2015 rule currently remains delayed until 2020; these injunctions add a backstop should the cases against the delay rule prevail.
For more information, contact Melinda Tomaino at [email protected].

AGC joined the H-2B Workforce Coalition in letters to U.S. House and Senate appropriators ahead of debate on the a fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The letter was spurred by a perennial shortage of H-2B visas for seasonal workers. H-2B visas are one of the only legal programs for construction employers to use foreign labor for temporary or seasonal work. The letter calls on Congress to raise the number of visas allowed annually to meet economic needs. AGC has long advocated for increasing H-2B visas, along with other immigration reform priorities.
For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected] or (202) 547-0133.

Construction Materials Costs on the Rise
On June 12, Senate Republicans blocked consideration of AGC-supported bipartisan legislation that would require congressional approval of tariffs imposed for national security purposes, including both the 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent tariff on aluminum. This comes on the heels of producer price index figures showing, from May 2017 to May 2018, a jump of 17.3 percent for aluminum mill shapes and 10.5 percent for steel mill products. The U.S. imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union on June 1 and are not reflected in the current data. Contact the president and your members of Congress to tell them to end steel and aluminum tariffs hurting your construction business.
For more information, contact Jimmy Christianson at [email protected] or (703) 837-5325. 

Are you ready for engaging discussions and educational sessions at this year’s environmental conference?  The agenda is posted and registration is open; reserve your seat today for AGC’s 2018 Construction Environmental Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Crystal City, Virginia, on Sept. 12-13.
Whether your goal is an excellent compliance record, to keep abreast of key developments and trends, or to gain an understanding of how environmental issues affect your job responsibilities and projects – AGC’s CEC is the conference for you.  Look what’s on the agenda for 2018.

• Manage environmental requirements and risk: Learn the latest developments in water, waste, hazardous materials and contaminants, emergency reporting and response, and species considerations.


• Factor environmental concerns into phases of a project: Discuss wildlife and community solutions during the planning process and operations, permitting issues on large and small projects, properly insuring your projects, and avoiding common mistakes (and enforcement actions!) during operations.


• Expand your knowledge and skills: Explore training and technology tools, materials and life-cycle analysis, as well as the growing prefab trend.

October 17-19 in Arlington, VA
This unique three–day course provides construction safety and health professionals with the next–level knowledge required to successfully manage a company–wide safety program. Moving beyond the basics of Focus Four training, AGC’s Advanced Safety Management Training Program will give participants a more holistic view of safety’s role in project and company success, as well as advanced tactics and best practices for managing all aspects of a corporate safety program. Participants will also focus on the importance of "selling" safety throughout the organization and methods to generate buy–in from different audiences. Full details on the course and links to registration can be found here.

July 25-27 in Indianapolis, IN
The 2018 Summer Safety & Health Conference will take place July 25-27, 2018 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, IN. Join more than 250 industry professionals and participate in the development of regulatory and legislative activity on both a national and local level; assist in the development and creation of new safety training programs and products; and hear the latest initiatives from OSHA and other industry experts. Full details on the Conference and links to registration and the hotel room block can be found here.