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This Week in Congress This week, the House voted on legislation that would address rising gas and home energy prices, along with an approximately $80 billion six-year reauthorization of the nation’s workforce development programs.  Additionally, the House voted on legislation addressing veterans’ issues in advance of Memorial Day and officer training and benefits recognizing National…

ASA Advances Transportation Infrastructure Legislation on Capitol Hill This week, ASA attended the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC)’s 2022 Legislative Meeting to advance transportation infrastructure legislation on Capitol Hill.  Sen. Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, and former New Orleans Mayor Landrieu, who has been appointed by the Biden Administration to oversee the…

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, the House considered the WIOA bill, which includes 39 amendments and a full list of amendments can be found here: https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/Rule_HR6531HR7309S2938.pdf Return to the ASAToday page to read more articles.

COMPETES Act As negotiations continue on the COMPETES Act (anticompetition with China legislation), House Democrats and outside groups are pushing for immigration provisions that would attract high-skilled workers and boost critical sectors of the economy. The House-passed bill contains a provision that would allow more immigrants who have a doctorate degree in science, technology, engineering,…

May 17th Primary Day in KY, NC, OR, ID, and PA Tuesday, May 17th marked the busiest primary day this year with primaries in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.  In North Carolina and Pennsylvania primaries were held for their U.S. Senate seats and House incumbents faced re-election challenges from within their party including…

This Week in Congress Congress returned this week starting a three-week legislative stretch with the House debating a $33 billion aid funding package for Ukraine, legislation to bolster U.S. competitiveness, along with legislation allowing the right of House staffers to unionize.  Additionally, the House voted on legislation that would expand federal benefits for firefighters, allow…

DOL to Abandon or Postpone Their Anticipated Overtime Regulations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act The Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity (PPWO) is urging the Department of Labor (DOL)’s Wage and Hour Division to abandon or at least postpone issuance of its announced proposed rulemaking altering the overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act…

Design Build Industry Disagrees with Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations The design build industry strongly disagrees with the Wage and Hour Division’s interpretation of the Davis-Bacon Act and proposal to revise regulations to classify members of survey crews as “laborers and mechanics” subject to the Act.  The proposed rules seek to unilaterally expanded…

Immigration – The Perennial Legislative White Whale? As reported in Tuesday, May 10th’s Hill Newspaper, which mirrors what Mike Oscar is hearing in meetings with congressional staff on immigration reform, “it’s all about the border.”  As Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) stated in a recent immigration meeting with a small group of senators, “I … said we…

$33 Billion Ukraine Aid Package Negotiations House and Senate negotiators are continuing to work on the Administration’s proposal to provide an additional $33 billion for military, economic, and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and NATO allies. The bill could also include pandemic relief funds, as the White House warns it is running out of money for…