Critical Path

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One shared mission, two honors and 10 stirring toasts at Society of American Military Engineers’ Golden Eagle Awards dinner.

I picked up a sample of these earplugs shaped like little pistons at a recent tradeshow. Since I last wrote about the stylish options in high-visibility work clothes, here is another fun PPE option.

The $940-billion health care “corrections” bill that House Democrats unveiled on March 18 strikes the Merkley amendment that has stirred controversey in the construction industry, according to several sources familiar with the bill, including Associated General Contractors’ senior director of legislative

President Obama on March 18 signed a jobs measure that will extend the federal highway and transit programs through Dec. 31 and strengthen the Highway Trust Fund. It also will bring funding  for roads and bridges back to 2009 levels, by canceling previous rescissions.

The Senate delivered some good news to transportation construction firms, with approval of a jobs package that extends the highway and transit programs through December.   The Senate passage, on March 17 on a 68-29 vote, is the final congressional action on the measure,

The prestigious Jesse H. Neal Awards from American Business Media, which recognize editorial excellence in business-to-business journalism, got a face-lift this year to bring them more fully into the digital age. Significantly, most Neal categories now are platform-agnostic. Digital news stories compete head-to-head with print news stories, for example, and winners often were mixed media. One thing remained the same: A key criterion is service to the industry. Engineering News-Record editors were delighted to bring home three Neals.

SAFETEA-LU isn’t the only key construction bill heading for another deadline--airport construction grants and other Federal Aviation Administration programs are set to expire on March 31.   The good news is that a two-year, $34.6-billion FAA reauthorization finally has made it to the Senate floor.

  As the health care debate continues to drag on, construction industry groups are still concerned about a provision in the Senate-passed bill, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) that would require construction firms with six or more employees to provide health insurance to their employees, or pay a penalty. For

Let's hope the next transportation reauthorization bill will actually be passed by the folks in Congress, who have largely let partisan bickering get in the way of doing much of anything.

I'll bet that construction executives will be paying close attention to James F. Lomma.