On March 9, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PRO Act largely along partisan lines with a final vote of 225-206.

On February 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report finding, among other things, that fitting a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask (“double masking”) improved source control and reduced wearer exposure to contracting COVID-19.

Action Needed

In just one week in office, President Biden has issued 21 executive orders, a figure surpassing former President Obama’s 20 executive orders issued over the course of all of 2013.

On January 21, President Biden issued an executive order (EO) calling on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue revised COVID-19 guidance to employers by February 4.

AGC blocked a surprise federal tax increase of up to 37 percent on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness, benefiting tens of thousands of construction firms.

The Associated General Contractors of America Political Action Committee, also known as the AGC PAC, announced today that it has endorsed David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler for the United States Senate. AGC PAC officials said they are supporting the senators’ campaigns because of their strong pro-construction record and support for the industry.

On December 3, AGC, along with 564 trade associations, called on Congress to pass legislation reversing IRS policy that turns promised, tax-free PPP loan forgiveness into a taxable event.

In a year like 2020, it is fitting that the presidential election and a number of down-ballot races have gone into political overtime. According to preliminary estimates, 160 million Americans participated in the 2020 general election shattering the previous record of 138 million in 2016. It remains uncertain if the country will eclipse the modern-era record for turnout as a share of the voting-eligible population last set at 63.8 percent in 1960.

On Oct. 26, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lenders would send a questionnaire to PPP borrowers who received a principal loan amount of $2 million or more and have to return a completed questionnaire in ten days.