Enlarge As federal highway and transit programs’ funding authority nears a July 31 expiration, Congress is laboring to find a fix. House Republicans proposed a five-month extension, and the Senate has moved a key part of a six-year bill through committee. Construction and state transportation officials don’t want to see funds cut off. But it is unclear whether the two chambers can strike a deal in time.To keep funds flowing, House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) on July 13 rolled out an $8.1-billion stopgap provision that would run through

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration will delay fully enforcing its new rule for construction in confined spaces to give firms more time to comply with its training requirements.The rule takes effect on Aug. 3, but OSHA will postpone full enforcement to Oct. 2. It said it is responding to requests for more time to train workers and other actions.The Associated Builders and Contractors was among those seeking the added time. Chris Williams, ABC safety director, said, “The extension will provide valuable time ... to distribute our training resources, along with those provided by OSHA, to educate our member companies

Related Links: Shuster-Ryan statement on new bill Ways and Means summary of bill's funding offsets Text of bill The House has passed an $8.1-billion measure to keep federal highway and transit programs operating through Dec. 18, aiming to get the extension enacted before a current stopgap expires on July 31.The 312-119 vote on July 15 leaves the next move up to the Senate.After the vote, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement, "This bipartisan action will keep construction workers on the job and pave the way for further efforts on long-term infrastructure plan."In announcing the House proposal, which

Newly enacted legislation that calls for quicker congressional action on trade agreements and lays out U.S. negotiating objectives in those talks has won praise from business groups, including construction-equipment manufacturers, but critics worry that the measure's environmental and labor provisions aren't strong enough. President Obama signed the trade bill on June 29 along with a measure extending a program providing educational aid and other financial assistance to workers who lose jobs because of trade agreements.The fast-track bill has been controversial and pitted many lawmakers from the president’s own party against an odd alliance of pro-business Republicans and the White House.The

Related Links: AFL-CIO page on Fast-Track Trade legislation/trade deals National Association of Manufacturers Page on Fast-Track/TPP Business groups, including construction-equipment manufacturers, are supportive of the congressional passage of fast-track legislation giving the president broader authority in negotiating a major trade deal with 11 other countries in the Asian Pacific region.But labor and environmental advocates worry that the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which has largely been negotiated in secret over the past five years, will enable corporations to cut corners or move jobs overseas, where labor and environmental safeguards may not be enforceable.President Obama signed the bill, which was approved shortly before lawmakers

Photo courtesy Caterpillar Inc. Ex-Im assistance has helped suppliers like Caterpillar ink deals that would otherwise go to competitors. Related Links: Capitol Hill Fight Looms For Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization U.S., Private Sector Commit Billions to African Electric Power Construction-equipment makers and other business groups are hoping that Congress will act soon to renew the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s charter, a move that would enable the bank to resume approving new loans and other aid to spark overseas sales of U.S.-made goods and services.Congress failed to reauthorize the bank by June 30, when its authorization lapsed, which meant that it had to

Related Links: Link to Supreme Court June 29 ruling EPA's page on MATS rule In a major setback for the Obama administration, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 29 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not consider the costs firms would face to comply with a 2013 federal rule aimed at reducing emissions of mercury and other air pollutants.The high court is sending the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule (MATS) back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and to EPA to evaluate compliance costs.Although EPA critics such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch

The U.S. Supreme Court, for the second time in three years, has affirmed the legality of key provisions of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,  a measure that is viewed as one of President Obama's central legislative achievements.

Related Links: Summary of House Appropriations Committee report on Interior-Environment bill Summary of Senate Apprpriations Interior-Environment bill House and Senate appropriations committees have approved spending bills to fund the Environmental Protection Agency for fiscal year 2016 that make deep cuts into EPA's water infrastructure program. The bills, which the committees cleared along party lines, also include controversial environmental policy riders that are expected to draw presidential vetoes.The Senate appropriations measure trims combined funding for EPA's clean-water and drinking-water state revolving funds (SRFs) by 23%, to $1.8 billion, from this year's level. The House bill includes similar numbers: $1 billion for

Related Links: Treasury Dept. 6/17/2015 release on new proposed and temporary multiemployer-plan regulations Kaptur/Sanders release on their multiemployer-pension bill The Treasury Dept. has taken steps to implement a 2014 law that directed major changes for multiemployer pension plans. But some in Congress want to reverse a provision that lets sponsors of ailing plans seek to cut members' benefits.Multiemployer plans cover about 10 million workers and retirees and are common in unionized construction. In 2010, coverage in the construction industry accounted for 55% of all multiemployer plans and 37.5% of the people those plans covered, the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.