Archive for December 2022

FY23 Budget! On Tuesday, December 20, 2022, Democratic and Republican appropriators released a $1.7 trillion FY23 omnibus spending bill, which will be passed by Congress in advance of the December 23rd funding deadline.  Each side of the aisle claimed their own victories in the package, which spans 4,155 pages. It not only covers the dozen…

ASA Submits Comments on DOL’s Independent Contractor Proposed Rule ASA, along with the Small Business Legislative Council (SBLC), submitted comments on the Department of Labor (DOL)’s Independent Contractor Rule.  The SBLC (ASA is a long-standing member) is an independent, permanent coalition of national trade and professional associations whose goal is to maximize the advocacy and…

The Rural Internet Improvement Act ASA, along with the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP), congratulated Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) on introducing S.5137, the Rural Internet Improvement Act.  ASA and NASBP have collaboratively worked to involve surety bonds as an alternative form of security to letters of credit (LOCs) for broadband auctions as currently required…

Department of Energy’s Three New Workforce Programs The Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) is pleased to share three new workforce programs: the State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Program (Contractor Training Program), Energy Auditor Training Program (EAT), and Career Skills Training Program (CST), which are funded by the…

This Week in Congress Congress returned this week to pass the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), along with attempting to fund the government before December 16th and potentially extending that funding deadline to December 23rd.   Additionally, the federal government’s debt interest costs surged in the first two months of the fiscal year. The Treasury…

ASA Supported Procurement Policies Included in the FY23 NDAA On December 6, 2022, the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was released and included in it was ASA supported procurement policies regarding progress payments, cash flow, military base access, PFAS, architectural and engineering services, and wastewater assistance.  Our top priority for this year’s bill was…

Sens. Thune (R-SD), Klobuchar (D-MN), Hoeven (R-ND), and Baldwin (D-WI) Urge Federal Maritime Commission to Carefully Implement Ocean Shipping Reform Act On December 9, 2022, Sens. Thune (R-SD), Klobuchar (D-MN), Hoeven (R-ND), and Baldwin (D-WI) urged Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Daniel Maffei to provide additional clarity on the definition of “unreasonable” as it relates…

IRS Guidance on IRA Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Provisions On November 30, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published Notice 2022-61, which offers preliminary guidance on the prevailing wage and apprenticeship (PW&A) provisions attached to certain clean energy tax incentives introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act, Pub. L. 117-169 (IRA).  The IRA introduced a two-tier “base” rate…

Sen. Sinema (D-AZ)’s Party Switch Sen. Sinema (D-AZ)’s decision to leave the Democratic Party and register as an independent is unlikely to upend the political equilibrium in the Senate. The senator plans to continue with committee assignments through the Democratic caucus, though she will not join the party for its weekly lunch where policy and…

This Week in Congress This week, Congress worked to pass legislation to protect same-sex marriages and authorize defense spending for the rest of the fiscal year.  However, still outstanding is legislation to fund the government.  Meanwhile on Tuesday incumbent Sen. Warnock (D-GA) faced off against Republican challenger Herschel Walker for the second time in a…