Archive for December 2023

Photo taken outside the Capitol Rotunda! ASA Government Relations 2023 Recap Despite the ever-changing political, regulatory, and legislative landscape, the ASA Government Relations Team wanted to briefly update you on our 2023 legislative successes as we enter the holiday season. Though this year has proven to be challenging, we offer thanks to our Government Relations…

This Week in Congress Congress entered the final stretch of the year negotiating a bicameral compromise on the FY24 NDAA, which sets national defense policy, and other legislative priorities.  Additionally, the Senate debated a $100 billion supplemental bill in the hopes of passing it before Congress adjourns for the year.  A dozen mostly progressive members…

Numerous House Members Exiting the Chamber Several coveted committee seats will be vacant in 2024 as over 30 members of Congress exit the House, prompting a scramble for sought-after spots in the next Congress.  The retirement wave in the past few weeks has included a former speaker, long-serving members in vulnerable districts, and influential dealmakers.…

OSHA Related Issues in 2024 As we exit 2023, the Fall 2023 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions was recently released by the administration. The semiannual agenda lays out the upcoming actions every agency will take through the end of 2023 and into 2024. To that end, the relevant OSHA issues that could impact…

Announcing the Bipartisan Construction Procurement Caucus (CPC) Before Congress ended session for 2023, the co-Chairs of the Construction Procurement Caucus (CPC) Reps. Stauber (R-MN) and Scholten (D-MI) circulated a Dear Colleague Letter inviting members of Congress to join their caucus, which serves as a forum for Members to discuss ways to improve efficiency in the…

SLDF Win on CGL Coverage for Construction Defects in Illinois On November 30th, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its opinion in Acuity v. M/I Homes of Chicago, LLC. The case involved commercial general liability (“CGL”) coverage for construction defects resulting in water damage to a townhome project. The appellate court’s request to clarify as to the existence of…

This Week in Congress Congress continued to negotiate a $100 billion funding supplemental to aid Ukraine, Israel, and East Asian allies, along with new border funding.  Speaker Johnson told “senators that the baseline for House demands on immigration language is H.R. 2, the House-passed, hard-line border and immigration bill that quickly died in the Senate…

FY24 Appropriations Congressional leaders from both parties want to approve supplemental spending for Israel, Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific security; however Republicans are also pushing to include changes to U.S. border security policies. As of this writing, talks are stalled on that issue. Majority Leader Schumer stated that Republicans are insisting on policy changes to curb the…

Upcoming Webinar: Job Costing 201: Level Up Your Process for More Profit Join us on Wednesday, December 12th, 2023 at Noon Eastern for the ASA webinar, “Job Costing 201: Level Up Your Process for More Profit”, presented by Terrin Kailan from Knowify. In today’s highly competitive construction industry, subcontractors face an almost impossible challenge: maintaining…