Related Links: Boxer, Inhofe Float New Transportation Bill Proposal (ENR 6/11/2012 issue) [subscription] Video of House Committee Chairman Shuster's remarks at U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting (1/23/15) A surface-transportation authorization is construction's No. 1 legislative priority this year and tops the agenda for Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the new chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW). Inhofe is seeking "a fiscally responsible, long-term transportation bill that builds upon reforms in MAP-21, better coordinates funding needs with private and state partners, and eliminates wasteful spending," according to a document provided for a media briefing in early January.INHOFEInhofe, who chaired

Related Links: Webcast/video of Jan. 21 House VA Committee hearing Searching for a Better Way to Build Big Veterans' Hospitals (ENR 12/29/14 issue) [subscription] Federal Ruling Halts Construction of Massive VA Hospital Near Denver (enr.com 12/11/14) [subscription] Facing strong Capitol Hill criticism for poor management of big hospital projects, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs now is open to considering transferring that part of its construction program to the Army Corps of Engineers, a top VA official says.
Testifying at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on Jan. 21, VA Deputy Secretary Sloan D. Gibson said he’s “perfectly willing” for the VA

Related Links: Construction Groups Say Obama Immigration Directive Will Slow Search for Legislative Fix (enr.com 11/20/2014) [subscription] Intensifying a dispute over federal immigration policy, the House has passed legislation that would cut off funding to implement President Obama’s 2014 immigration directives and end a two-year-old program that shields illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children from being deported.When Obama announced his plan last  year, construction industry officials warned that the ensuing controversy could dim the Capitol Hill outlook for comprehensive legislation to revamp immigration policies.  The new House immigration provisions are included in a bill funding the Dept. of

AP Wide World photo Biden wants proposed new infrastructure bond, other actions to help boost private sector's 3% share of total U.S. infrastructure investment. Related Links: White House fact sheet on new infrastructure proposals and plans Recommendations of interagency working group on infrastructure finance Obama Pushes for More Private Financing for Infrastructure (ENR 7/28/2014 issue) [subscription] The Obama administration has unveiled a new batch of proposals and initiatives aimed at drawing more private money to invest in U.S. infrastructure, with a particular focus on water projects.The new plans, announced on Jan. 16, flesh out President Obama’s Build America Investment Initiative,

Related Links: Construction Officials Urge Swift Passage of Terrorism Insurance Bill (enr.com 12/29/2014) Congressional Budget Office report on terrorism risk (01/06/2015) Ending a 12-day lapse in the federal terrorism-insurance backstop, President Obama has signed into law a bill that reinstates the program and extends it for six years.Obama signed the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) on Jan. 12, four days after the Senate had approved the measure by a strong 93-4 vote, shortly after the new Congress convened.The House on Jan. 7 also had passed the measure overwhelmingly, by 416 to 5.Industry officials had warned that if

Related Links: Bureau of Labor Statistics release and data tables AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's comments and analysis ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu's comments and analysis The construction industry ended 2014 on a strong note, with a surge of 48,000 jobs in December, driving its unemployment rate down sharply from its year-earlier level, though it was up from November’s mark.The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Jan. 9 that construction’s jobless rate last month was 8.3%, well below its 11.4% December 2013 rate. But the December unemployment rate was higher than November’s 7.5% as the industry’s work volume slowed with

Related Links: State Dept. release on Nuevo Laredo project State Dept. release on Matamoros project The State Dept. is moving ahead with plans for two new U.S. consulate complexes in Mexico, near the Texas border, continuing a program to improve some facilities and build new ones in a country where the U.S. consular operation is its largest in the world.The department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) announced on Jan. 2 that it had awarded a construction contract to B.L. Harbert International, Birmingham, Ala., for a consulate project in Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas. The department estimates the

Related Links: After Elections, Workplace-Organizing Bill Faces Longer Odds http://enr.construction.com/technology/information_technology/2010/1027-everifyissue.asp E-Verify Issue, Quiet for Now, Likely To Return After Elections KnottKatherine "Kelly" Knott, 45, a former lobbyist for the Associated General Contractors on employer issues, including immigration, labor relations and risk management, died on Dec. 3 in Alexandria, Va.The cause was breast cancer, according to an online obituary.From March 2001 to July 2011, Knott was an AGC congressional relations director. She spoke out on AGC member concerns, such as the need for comprehensive immigration reform and terrorism insurance.AGC Chief Executive Stephen Sandherr told ENR that Knott still kept up relationships

Photo Courtesy GSA / Benjamin Benschneider The Peace Arch Land Port of Entry redo in Blaine, Wash., includes 10 primary-inspection lanes and double the capacity of the 1976 facility. Related Links: $741M Overhaul of San Ysidro Land Port of Entry Burdened by Myriad Site Constraints After a funding lull, U.S. General Services Administration appropriations are bouncing back for "land ports of entry" projects.In the newly enacted spending bill for the rest of fiscal year 2015, GSA's account allotment for its new-construction includes $216.8 million for the San Ysidro project and $98.1 million for a port in Calexico, Calif. Those were

Related Links: Final new federal water resources Interagency Guidelines (released 12/17/2014). 1983 principles and guidelines for water resources The White House has released final federal interagency guidelines for evaluating planned water resources projects, the last piece of its five-year effort to rewrite the current, 31-year-old planning guide for the Corps of Engineers and three other agencies and broaden it to cover more agencies.But Congress, in the recently enacted “Cromnibus” spending package, has blocked the Corps from implementing the new water resources Principles, Requirements and Guidelines (PR&G) through the end of fiscal year 2015. The legislation doesn’t bar funding for other