Archive for April 2021

Infrastructure Funding Update This week, President Biden and a bipartisan group of lawmakers discussed alternative ways to pay for infrastructure spending, including a smaller increase in the corporate tax rate, as Republicans and Democrats aired possible changes to the size and scope of the package.  The President’s proposal would raise the corporate tax rate to…

Wrap-Up Insurance Program Considerations On larger projects Owner/Developers, General Contractors and Homebuilders are continuing to use Wrap-Up Insurance programs for Coverage, Control and Cost Savings purposes to “control” their Total Cost of Risk (TCOR). What is a Wrap-Up program?   It is a Controlled/Consolidated Insurance program that is centrally procured and managed for a single project…

OSHA COVID-19 Employer Citations Employers cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for Covid-19-related violations of workplace safety regulations are challenging the federal allegations at a rate nearly five times higher than the average for all types of safety violations.  About 42% of the 408 workplaces cited by the OSHA are appealing the…

Census Report Coming Soon States will soon learn if they’re going to gain or lose ground in the House of Representatives and in presidential elections. By the end of next week, the U.S. Census Bureau will release the first official results of the 2020 Census: the state population counts that will redistribute the 435 House…

The U.S. House Reopens Members of the House and their staff will be able to escort certain visitors into the Capitol starting tomorrow.  The Senate already allows official visits, with a staff escort. Congress barred public access to the U.S. Capitol and House and Senate buildings the evening of March 12, 2020.  The new policy…

SAFE Banking Act The House passed a measure that would give state-authorized cannabis businesses easier access to banking services. The bill would bar federal regulators from penalizing banks and other institutions for offering banking services to pot businesses. It passed on a 321-101 bipartisan vote. A total of 36 states have authorized the use of…

This Week in Congress The House voted on bill regarding gender wage gap (H.R.7) and workplace violence against healthcare and social service workers (H.R. 1195). Meanwhile, the Senate held nomination votes. Return to the ASAToday page to read more articles.

2021 COBRA Premium Subsidies The latest round of COVID relief legislation that was signed into law in March (the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) included a provision to provide COBRA premium subsidies to help laid off employees and their beneficiaries retain health insurance coverage.   COBRA provides certain employees and their beneficiaries with the right…

The Growing Need for Faster Labor Productivity Reporting Supply chain disruptions continue to impact construction schedules, resulting in the majority of contractors facing at least one material shortage. With the current construction environment showing both strong growth potential and high uncertainty, many construction teams are facing challenges of effective labor management and distribution across their…

Senate Earmarks Senate Republicans will decide on April 21st to lift their ban on earmarks, as House and Senate Democrats plan to bring them back this year.  The debate could pit long-standing Republican appropriators against spending hawks in the party, along with newer senators, who oppose restoring the practice.  Senate Appropriations Chair Leahy said that…