President Obama’s recess appointment of nominee Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board has drawn objections from industry groups and praise from labor unions. Becker, associate general counsel for the AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union, was one of 15 recess appointments Obama announced on March 27. Democrat Mark Pearce, another longtime union attorney, received a recess appointment to the NLRB, too. Also on Obama’s list is Rafael Borras, a vice president in URS Corp.’s mid-Atlantic region. He was named Dept. of Homeland Security undersecretary for management. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved Becker on
Now that legislation revamping the nation’s health-care system has been signed into law, construction companies and unions are poring over its provisions, trying to determine the impact of its sweeping changes. Some suggest the measure, enacted on March 30, will drive up firms’ premiums. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach. “The devil is always in the details,” says Stuart Binstock, CEO of the Finishing Contractors Association. Whether the law will produce the benefits its architects hope for isn’t clear, says American Subcontractors Association spokesman David Mendes. “When you’re talking about budget reductions and the costs for the program,” he says,
While President Obama signed the health-care reform legislation into law at a jubilant White House ceremony on March 23, grim-faced Republicans geared up for a battle in the Senate over a "reconciliation" package that amends the bill just signed into law. Riding with that reconciliation measure is the fate of a provision that has divided the construction industry. That provision, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), was in the Senate-passed version of the bill and thus is now law. It requires construction companies with more than five full-time employees and a payroll of $250,000 or more to offer health-care coverage
While President Obama signed the health-care reform legislation into law at a jubilant White House ceremony on March 23, grim-faced Republicans geared up for a battle in the Senate over a “reconciliation” package that amends the bill just signed into law. Riding with that reconciliation measure is the fate of a provision that has divided the construction industry. That provision, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), was in the Senate-passed version of the bill and thus is now law. It requires construction companies with more than five full-time employees and a payroll of $250,000 or more to offer health-care coverage
With the House nearing a critical health-care vote, construction is keeping a watchful eye on whether one controversial provision survives. That provision, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), would require small contractors to provide health coverage or pay a penalty. The language is in the health-care bill the Senate passed. If the House does not remove the provision in an anticipated “corrections” measure, it could become law. House Speaker Pelosi is struggling to garner support for a ‘corrections’ bill. Merkley’s proposal has split the industry. Groups such as the Associated Builders and Contractors and Associated General Contractors want to see
The International Code Council and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc. have merged their efforts, rather than compete, to develop the nation’s first “green” model code for commercial buildings. The model code, released on March 15, is open for public comment through May 14 but now is available to jurisdictions. Version 2.0, based on public input, will be released by Nov. 3. The goal is to develop an adoptable and enforceable model code. “Bringing together the code expertise of ICC with the technical expertise of ASHRAE to create a comprehensive green building code will accelerate our
Lawmakers on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hope to advance bipartisan legislation this year that aims to cut powerplant emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Committee member Tom Carper (D-Del.) introduced the bill, with panel colleague Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) as a co-sponsor. Regina McCarthy, the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for air and radiation, said at a March 4 committee hearing that the bill would dovetail with EPA regulations, expected this spring, replacing the Bush administration Clean Air Interstate Rule, and a new EPA mercury rule, expected in March 2011. But John McManus, a vice president
Beating the deadline set by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, all state departments of transportation obligated their full allotments of ARRA highway funds to projects by Feb. 26. Under the stimulus statute, any road funds unobligated by March 2 would have gone back to the Federal Highway Administration to be redistributed. States had put 73% of their total $26.6 billion in ARRA highway money into projects under contract as of Jan. 31, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported on March 4. That’s up from 66% on Dec. 31. Maine and Wyoming led the pack, each having 100% of
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is extending the comment period until March 30 on the proposed revision of its Injury and Illness Recordkeeping rule. The proposed rule, published in the Jan. 29 Federal Register, would restore a column to the OSHA 300 Log to record work-related musculoskeletal injuries. It does not change existing requirements about when employers must record ergonomic injuries.
The Army Corps of Engineers is facing bipartisan heat from House lawmakers about how it is carrying out important policy changes called for in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act. Because the Corps and the Army have been slow in meeting WRDA requirements, critical infrastructure projects could be delayed, says Marco Giamberardino, senior director of the Associated General Contractors’ federal and heavy construction division. Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy says the Army and Corps are making progress on revising key policy document. The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on March 4 held a hearing and
