Archive for May 2021

This Week in Congress The Senate voted on a broad bill to boost U.S. competition with China and secure technology supply chains, and considered more of President Biden’s nominees.   On Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee considered its surface transportation reauthorization bill, a bipartisan measure to support $304 billion for highway, road and…

Memorial Day Deals For ASA Members from Lenovo Celebrate with big savings from Lenovo! Your favorite technologies are back with savings up to 63% off now through June 6, 2021. Reward yourself with 2x rewards with MyLenovo Reward! Sign up is easy and free! Get access to sales, first dibs on new products and cash back for…

ASA Supports Sen. Ernst’s Amendment to the Senate Transportation Reauthorization Bill Unfortunately, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW)’s surface transportation reauthorization bill did not include S. 638, the Promoting Infrastructure by Protecting Our Subcontractors and Taxpayers Act, which ASA supports.  However, ASA and the Surety & Fidelity Association of America convinced Sen. Ernst (R-IA)…

ASA’s AGC Podcast on Legislative and Regulatory Procurement Issues On Thursday, May 20, 2021, ASA’s Government Relations Director, Mike Oscar, interviewed Jordan Howard, Director of Federal & Heavy Construction Division at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).  The podcast highlighted the collaborative working relationship AGC and ASA enjoy on a host of legislative and…

OSHA’s FAQ’s Regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reactions In response to the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC)’s letter and discussions with OSHA staff, the agency has re-evaluated the FAQ on recording adverse reactions related to COVID-19 vaccinations and please see below: Are adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine recordable on the OSHA recordkeeping log? DOL and…

America’s Job Creators for a Strong Recovery A coalition of 28 industry groups called “America’s Job Creators for a Strong Recovery” was unveiled on Tuesday that argues raising taxes on corporations and other businesses will hamper the U.S. economy. “The record tax hikes that Democrats are seeking to ram through could not come at a…

President Biden’s FY22 Budget On Friday, May 28, 2021, President Biden released his first full budget request and because of the budget submission delay, the House appropriators plan markups in June and July to make up for lost time and complete floor action prior to the August recess.  The President’s FY22 discretionary spending request would…

Earmark Funding Update The House lawmakers have yet to decide how much earmarked funding will go to each party.  Before earmarks were banned in 2011, the House split funding at 60 percent for the party in power and 40 percent for the minority.  The Senate split was 50-50.  Senate Appropriations Chair Leahy has stated that…

This Week in Congress President Biden’s prospects for passing a major infrastructure bill through Congress with bipartisan support continued to increase this week; however, Republican Senators and the Biden administration could not  reach an agreement on how much to spend on the package, or how to pay for it.  Per Sen. Capito (R-WV) leading the…

Senate Finance Committee on Infrastructure Financing This week, the Senate Finance Committee laid the groundwork for bipartisan collaboration on infrastructure financing that focused more on areas of agreement such as bonding and public-private partnerships.  Chair Wyden and ranking member Crapo called for bringing back the Obama-era Build America Bonds program, which provided federal payments for…