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Any additional dollar that can stay in a construction company’s cash flow can be invested in hiring and retaining talented workers. That was the message ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman conveyed to viewers Thursday morning during a live appearance on “FBN:am” on the Fox Business Network.

In voicing his support for tax reform legislation, Bellaman said he also hopes the bill addresses the small business tax, as 99 percent of construction companies employ less than 100 people.

You can watch the segment here.

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ABC President and CEO Mike Bellaman joined President Donald Trump and other business leaders at the White House Tuesday to discuss their support for tax reform legislation. At the meeting, President Trump outlined the necessity for tax reform, and thanked the organizations present for supporting the unified tax framework. 

While the legislation’s details are still being ironed out, ABC strongly supports the framework’s goal of promoting economic growth and job creation for all businesses—C corporations, S corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships alike. On Oct. 27, ABC joined a group of 58 organizations to send a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging the inclusion of the lower pass-through tax rate called for in the framework. 

Newsline will keep you updated on the latest tax reform legislation developments. 

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On Oct. 27, President Trump nominated Scott Mugno for Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Mugno currently serves as the vice president for safety, sustainability and vehicle maintenance at FedEx Ground and previously worked as managing director of FedEx Express corporate safety, health and fire protection. While at Fedex Express, Mugno twice received FedEx’s highest honor, the FedEx Five Star Award, for his safety leadership.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Mugno will lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the organization within DOL that enforces standards for safe and healthy working conditions. As assistant secretary, Mugno will be tasked with enforcing many safety regulations that impact ABC members, including OSHA’s respirable crystalline silica standard and electronic reporting rule. 

Following Mugno’s confirmation, Loren Sweatt will continue serving as OSHA’s deputy assistant secretary. 

ABC will continue to provide updates on Mugno’s nomination and other OSHA issues through Newsline.

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Since the GOP’s latest effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) effort, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have introduced two proposals to replace aspects of the ACA.

On Oct. 17, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced a short-term deal aimed at stabilizing the individual health insurance market and lowering the costs of premiums.

According to a press release from Sen. Alexander, the Alexander-Murray bill amends the ACA to give new flexibility for states to create insurance policies that offer larger variety and lower costs; at the same time, the bill will continue cost-sharing reduction payments (CSRs) through 2019.

The Congressional Budget Office also released a report on the legislation, saying the bill would reduce the deficit by $3.8 billion from 2018 to 2027.   

On Oct. 24, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Representative Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, released a separate proposal to replace the ACA.

A press release from Sen. Hatch stated that while the proposal is not a repeal of the ACA, it would change several parts of the law, including the expansion of Health Savings Accounts to increase the maximum limit, relief from the individual mandate from 2017 to 2021 and relief from the employer mandate from 2015 to 2017.  

Like the Alexander-Murray bill, the Hatch-Brady proposal also funds CSRs through 2019, but includes pro-life protections and certain conditions that carriers must meet to receive funding. 

ABC will continue to provide updates in Newsline on the status of these proposals and other health care issues that impact ABC members.

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A record number of project owners joined ABC contractors last week at the fifth annual ABC Users Summit in New Orleans to discuss how to collaboratively improve the planning and delivery of high-quality construction projects. Thank you to our Executive and Associate Sponsors for their support of our fifth annual ABC Users Summit. View the 2017 summit program for additional details.

Led by Joe Powell of Healthcare Infrastructure Research (far right), this panel shared the most exciting and surprising product and process innovations in hospital and healthcare construction.

From left: Dana E. Swenson, Umass Memorial Healthcare; Jerry Nickerson, Jr. PE, CxA, CMVP, Parkland Hospital Health System; Judy Quasney, National Institutes of Health; Brian J. Spencer, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Stella Fiotes, Department of Veteran Affairs; Scott K. Bell, Kaiser Permanente. Photo credit: Wayne Catalano

Executive Sponsors
Brasfield & Gorrie LLC
GROUP Industries LLC
hth companies inc.
Kwest Group
McCarthy Building Companies
MetroPower Inc.
Robins and Morton
United Group Services
Wood Group

Associate Sponsors
Bradley
CohnReznick LLP
Gaylor Electric Inc.
Occucare International
PeopleReady
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Tradesmen International
United Rentals Inc.

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 25—The construction industry has a message for career-seekers this October: the demand for construction workers is high, and firms are looking to hire. Despite an investment of more than $1 billion a year by its members to train the next generation of construction workers, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) says the industry currently has 500,000 unfilled jobs, and that number could more than double if Congress and the White House agree on a promised $1 trillion infrastructure bill. ABC member firms are highlighting the worker shortfall and abundant opportunities for aspiring industry professionals during Careers in Construction Month.

“Given the industry’s current market conditions and anticipated growth, now is the time for our country to do more to encourage the next generation of construction and engineering leaders for our industry,” said ABC Vice President of Environment, Health, Safety and Workforce Development Greg Sizemore. “We must put as much emphasis on career technical education as we do formal college degree programs. Both are imperative to meeting the construction demand and ensuring opportunities for all Americans to participate in the industry.”

ABC’s 70 chapters offer more than 800 apprenticeship, craft training and safety training programs around the country, and ABC members train 476,000 construction industry professionals a year. In addition, ABC’s Student Chapters program is a unique and dynamic network of more than 30 colleges and universities offering construction-related degree programs, which offers career fairs, job site tours and internships. ABC also supports education initiatives like buildyourfuture.org and Go Build America that demonstrate the appeal of careers in construction.

ABC is also on the front lines of a new effort to expand apprenticeship programs. This month, the U.S. Department of Labor appointed ABC President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman to a national task force that will submit proposals to President Donald Trump meant to promote successful, industry-recognized apprenticeships in the public and private sectors.
 
Construction workers are in high demand and there has never been a greater opportunity for those seeking a rewarding path in a skilled trade. For more information, visit workforce.abc.org.

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Michael D. Bellaman, president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), today issued the following statement on the passage of a budget by the U.S. Senate:
 
“This important step by the Senate keeps the process on track to produce once-in-a-generation tax reform. We urge the House to act swiftly to take up and pass this measure so that the real work of tax reform can begin. Associated Builders and Contractors looks forward to working with Congressional tax writers to fulfill the promise of the unified framework and deliver a simpler, fairer tax code that grows the economy, creates jobs and provides equitable relief for all American businesses.”

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, Oct. 19 ― Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced the promotion of Téa Gennaro to Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She will be responsible for managing and directing the accounting, finance and facilities functions at ABC and its affiliated organizations—the ABC Political Action Committee, ABC Retirement and Savings Plan, Construction Legal Rights Foundation, Trimmer Construction Education Foundation and ABC Services Corp. 

Gennaro is the primary liaison to ABC’s budget and finance committee and a liaison to the retirement committee. She is the primary contact for ABC’s 70 chapters for nonprofit tax, accounting and related issues. She will report to the president and CEO, and will be a member of ABC’s executive management team.

Prior to her promotion, Gennaro was ABC’s controller for four years, overseeing the finance and accounting departments of the association and its affiliates. Before joining ABC, she was a controller in the Outsourced Accounting Client Service branch of Tate & Tryon, an accounting firm specializing in associations and other nonprofits.

A certified public accountant, Gennaro earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Pensacola Christian College and a Master’s of Business Administration degree in global business from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She was recently honored with the “Trending 40 Association and Nonprofit Finance Leaders” award by DCA Live.

Gennaro is serving a two-year term on the board of directors of Byte Back Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based technology nonprofit that helps low-income adults get living-wage jobs with free computer training and career services.

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On Oct. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Galassi issued a memorandum on Interim Enforcement Guidance for the Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard. The memo provides interim enforcement guidance to Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) for enforcing the standard, stating:

Effective Oct. 23, 2017, OSHA will fully enforce all appropriate provisions of the Silica in Construction Standard. This memorandum will serve as interim enforcement guidance while the standard’s companion compliance directive is proceeding through the review process. It will expire when the compliance directive becomes effective and available to the field.

The Interim Enforcement Guidance memo follows the Sept. 20 memorandum, issued by Galassi, that announced a 30-day enforcement phase-in to offer compliance assistance to employers making good faith efforts to comply.

On Oct. 25, ABC National offered ABC members a webinar on the final silica rule, which will be archived in ABC’s Academy later this week. 

Silica remains a top priority for ABC National, and we continue to have conversations with the U.S. Department of Labor. We will update you with any new developments.

Litigation Update:

ABC, along with a coalition of construction groups, is litigating the final rule. The case is in the U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit. 

Resources on the final silica rule:

Since the rule was proposed in 2013, ABC has voiced serious concerns with the rule and has taken the following actions:

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Construction Executive magazine is proud to announce its latest award, an honorable mention from the Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards for its digital edition. Produced by media company GTxcel, the digital edition magazine is a page-turner replica of the print magazine, complete with navigation links and a built-in article sharing feature. The current digital edition can be viewed here. 
 
The Eddie & Ozzie Awards have become the most comprehensive magazine media award program, with hundreds of highly-competitive entries each year. While magazine media continues to evolve and reinvent its core product, the awards program follows that lead by celebrating outstanding editorial and design content in both print and digital platforms. To see the complete list of finalists and winners, click here.

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