Posts by Matt Zuiderhof

This Week in Congress Both chambers of Congress are in session this week and will be in recess next week. The House considered four bills including the SAVE Act (S. 1383), which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo identification to vote in federal elections; the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act (H.R. 2189), which…

FY26 Appropriations Update Last Tuesday, Congress passed, and President Trump signed, a Senate-revised appropriations minibus, bringing an end to a brief partial government shutdown. The bill fully funds all federal agencies and programs for the remainder of FY 2026 (ending on September 30), except for those covered by the Homeland Security bill. Homeland Security funding…

Rescission of Health and Transportation Funds The Trump administration is rescinding a total of $1.5 billion in health and transportation funds from multiple blue states. The OMB directed the Transportation Department to rescind $943 million from Colorado, Illinois, California and Minnesota, and it directed the CDC to rescind $602 million from those states. The cut…

Protection of Federal Workers or Not? The Trump administration has finalized a rule that allows for the easier dismissal of 50,000 federal workers focused on policy. This change eliminates many civil service and whistleblower protections, effectively converting their status to something similar to that of political appointees, who can be fired at will. The administration…

ASA Central PA and ASA SWPA Support Anti-Indemnification Legislation On Wednesday, February 4th, the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee passed HB1541 unanimously, a key anti-indemnification bill that ASA Central PA and SWPA Chapters have been advocating for since July 2019. ASA Central PA and ASA SWPA Chapters, along with other subcontractor and design professional groups, have…

Greater Kansas City ASA (KCASA) Supports Mutual Waiver of Consequential Damages Legislation Greater Kansas City ASA (KCASA) supports SB 335, which requires construction contracts to include a mutual waiver of consequential damages by amending K.S.A. 16-1901 and 16-1907 and repealing existing provisions. This legislation appropriately recognizes the importance of mutual consequential-damages waivers in construction contracts.…

KCASA Opposes Increasing Statutory Bond Requirements KCASA strongly opposes SB 436,which would amend K.S.A. 19-214 by increasing the statutory bond requirements for counties from $25,000 to $100,000. An increase of $75,000 would mean that many more county construction contracts throughout the state would be procured without the benefit of performance and payment guarantees, which provide…

ASA Baltimore Supports Strengthening Maryland’s Prompt Pay Law ASA Baltimore supports SB 671, which would strengthen prompt payment protections for subcontractors across Maryland by ensuring clearer rules and fairer treatment in public and locally funded construction contracts. It expands prompt payment coverage to local government entities, requires written notice if payment is withheld, mandates interest…

This Week in Congress The House considered the Senate-revised version of the appropriations minibus, along with legislation (H.R. 4090) aimed at improving access to critical minerals. Additionally, the House voted on H.J. Res. 142, a resolution disapproving of a D.C. law that decouples the city’s tax code from provisions included in the One Big Beautiful…

House Party Ratios As a preliminary matter, last weekend voters in Houston elected Christian Menefee (D) to replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D).  The House will have 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, meaning that the Republicans will be reduced to a one-vote majority. Return to the ASAtoday page to read more articles