Uncategorized

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

The Pending Partial Government Shutdown! On Tuesday, the voted 217-214 to avoid a partial government shutdown; however, included in the funding package was a continuing resolution (CR) through February 13th for the Department of Homeland Security. Last Friday night, a significant portion of federal government funding expired, affecting agencies and programs covered by six key…

Contempt Resolutions Against the Clinton! This week, the House will vote on resolutions to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena compelling their testimony before the Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein. Return to the ASAtoday page to…

Resolution to Expel House Member(s)! Last week, the House Ethics Committee announced that it found substantial evidence to support the federal fraud indictment pending against Rep. Shiela Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL). Rep Steube (R-FL) said he will call up a resolution this week to force her expulsion from Congress.  It will require two-thirds majority support to pass…