On June 28, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing with President Trump’s nominee to head the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Charles Rettig. Mr. Rettig is expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Since the previous IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen, departed the agency, the Assistant Secretary of Tax Policy, David Kautter, has been leading the agency on an interim basis and splitting time between Treasury and IRS. With a confirmed, full-time, IRSC Commissioner in place, this can only help the process of promulgating a number of important tax regulations from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that AGC is eagerly awaiting.
For more information, please contact Matthew Turkstra at [email protected] or (202) 547-4733.

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.

On June 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued a supplemental proposal to the July 2017 proposed action to repeal the 2015 Obama Administration definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS). Public feedback on the July 2017 proposal indicated some level of public confusion about the agencies’ intent. As such, the EPA and USACE issued this supplemental proposal to clarify that the agencies are proposing to permanently repeal the 2015 WOTUS rule in its entirety and keep the pre-2015 regulatory framework in place until a new WOTUS rule is finalized. AGC supports the EPA and USACE effort to repeal and replace the 2015 WOTUS rule and will provide comment as necessary on this proposal.
For more information, contact Melinda Tomaino at [email protected] or (703) 837-5415.

Jointly sponsored by AGC and CFMA, the 22nd Annual AGC/CFMA Construction Financial Management Conference will be held Oct. 24-26 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. This three-day conference offers programs and workshops designed specifically for financial professionals in the construction industry. The 34 interactive sessions will cover the latest industry issues and their financial implications. Participants may earn up to 20 continuing professional education (CPE) credits. Register at meetings.agc.org/agc_cfma.
For more information, contact Matthew Turkstra at [email protected] or (202) 547-4733.

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.

Includes MilCon, VA, and USACE Civil Works Funding
On June 25, the Senate approved the House-passed “minibus” appropriations bill (H.R. 5895) by a vote of 86-5. The minibus includes funding for Energy and Water, the Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2019.  These three bills are the first of the twelve annual appropriations bills Congress needs to pass before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The bill provides a total of $10.3 billion for military construction projects. This is an increase of $241 million, or 2.4 percent, above the enacted fiscal year 2018 level.  The Department of Veterans Affairs major construction account is funded at $1.12 billion, and its minor construction account is funded at $706.9 million.
The Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program is funded at $6.927 billion, an increase above the fiscal year 2018-enacted level of $6.8 billion. Roughly $1.52 billion in funding from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and full use of estimated annual revenues from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund is required. The Corps construction account received $2.16 billion. Its Operations & Maintenance (O&M) account received a record-level of $3.74 billion.
AGC applauds the passage of these appropriation bills and looks forward to working with Congress towards a final funding bill.  Passing appropriations bills in a timely fashion helps provide federal agencies and, in turn, federal construction contractors, with financial and operational certainty that helps them with the planning the execution of infrastructure projects.
For more information, contact Jordan Howard at [email protected] or (703) 837-5368.

This week a Senate committee passed the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which will now have to be considered by the full Senate and conferenced with a House-passed bill from last year. A top priority of AGC’s has been reforming and reauthorizing the Perkins Act, as it helps offset the cost of career and technical education (CTE) programs. Ahead of the Senate considering the bill, AGC joined with over 500 national, state and local organizations in a letter to Senate leaders urging swift, bipartisan action on Perkins reauthorization.
AGC would like the bill to include reforms such as better aligning education with local needs, promoting work-based learning, spurring industry-recognized credentials and providing funding increases to the program. The bill largely satisfies those priorities and AGC will work with Senate leaders to ensure programs funded by the bill lead to students passing credentialing tests and becoming more workforce ready.
For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected] or (202) 547-0133.

AGC Weighs in on Construction Workforce Needs
On June 27, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a legislative proposal – the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act – to reform the nation’s immigration laws. This bill failed by a vote of 121 to 301 despite being a more moderate version of an immigration reform bill that also failed last week. AGC sent a letter to Congress ahead of the vote advocating for immigration reforms that would help address construction workforce needs.
AGC opposed the original, more restrictive bill because it limited legal immigration and failed to address the construction industry’s workforce shortage. That bill ultimately failed by a vote of 193 to 231 with 41 Republicans joining every Democrat in opposition.
This week’s more moderate proposal, while providing a better pathway to reform, still fell short of addressing many of the industry’s priorities. The bill provided $25 billion for a border wall, a path to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and placed some limits on legal immigration, along with reversing the administration’s zero tolerance policy at the southern border.
The outlook for future reform efforts remain uncertain and AGC will continue to call for any immigration reforms to address the workforce challenges in the construction industry.
For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected] or (202) 547-0133.

On June 7-8, nearly 40 member company CFO’s and other senior accounting and tax professionals attended the AGC Financial Issues Committee (FIC) Summer Meeting in Washington, DC. Committee members heard a legislative update from Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and discussed the recently passed tax reform legislation and how it impacts the construction industry and its priorities.
The group also heard a presentation on the new “Opportunity Zones,” created in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from Shay Hawkins, tax counsel to Senator Tim Scott; received an update on the implementation of new accounting standards; and heard from AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson about the economic outlook for construction.
The FIC Winter 2019 Meeting will be held January 10-11 at the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort in Miami, Florida.  Meeting and hotel information will be circulated in the coming months.
For more information, contact Matt Turkstra at [email protected].