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Industry Priorities

More than three-quarters of the construction performed in the United States is performed by subcontractors. Whether you’re a small, family-owned plastering subcontractor working primarily on renovations of historical properties or a multi-million dollar commercial mechanical subcontractor, your work is subject to:

  • General business laws and regulations (e.g., income tax, anti-trust).
  • Laws and regulations specific to the construction industry (e.g., mechanic’s lien laws, anti-‘bid shopping’ laws, prompt pay laws).
  • And the “private law” of the subcontracts that describe subcontractors' performance obligations and allocate risk.

ASA is the united voice dedicated to improving the business environment in the construction industry, representing subcontractors before all branches (executive, legislative, judicial) and levels (federal, state, local) of government, to organizations representing other parts of the construction industry, to the news media, and others. ASA fights the big battles for you on issues such as prompt payment, retainage, standard contract language, bid shopping, insurance and more.

ASA Supports Immigration Reform Including Expansion of the H2B Program and More…

     Three-fourths of the construction industry consists of subcontractors, and ASA members will need 723,00 workers annually to meet demand. Factors driving this include natural disaster recovery, increased data center needs, likely raising labor costs. In the past year, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.4 percent.
     ASA urges the 119th Congress to make the worker shortage in the construction industry a priority by reforming immigration laws. We propose expanding the H-2B visa program, increasing employment-based visa quotas, and creating a market-driven visa program for foreign workers. Additionally, ASA supports protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients in the construction industry and suggests an improved E-Verify system with safeguards for employers.

Learn about ASA’s industry priorities on a number of subcontractor issues, including construction practices, government procurement, labor-management relations, economic and tax policy, and regulatory reform, under Advocacy in the Index above.

As part of the ASA network, members' opinions matter as you join thousands of like-minded business people fighting for Better Construction Through Fair Construction!