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This Week in Congress Congress has two weeks before the government shuts down without funding and negotiations continued this week on a short-term funding package.  Last week, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) abruptly pulled his continuing resolution (CR) from a scheduled floor vote, conceding that it lacked sufficient support to pass.  About a dozen Republicans have announced…

U.S. Department of Labor’s Severe Injury Report Dashboard On September 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) launched its online Severe Injury Report dashboard, a tool designed for users to search the DOL’s Severe Injury Report database and view trends related to workplace injuries. OSHA defines a severe injury as “an amputation, in-patient hospitalization,…

Help Create the SUBExcel 2025 Education Program with Your Vote Vote by September 30th and enter to win one of two $50 Amazon Gift Cards! There’s still time to participate in the SUBExcel 2025 Education poll and let us know what’s important to you. What affects Subcontractors in your region also impacts your colleagues across…

This Week in Congress With the political conventions in the rearview mirror, Congress returned this week facing the traditional election year quagmire of members wanting to leave Washington as quickly as possible while doing just enough to avoid a government shutdown. Congress has three weeks to pass a continuing resolution (CR) by the October 1st…

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Bans the Use of Reverse Auctions in Construction Services On Thursday, September 5th, the Department of Defense (DOD), the General Services Administration (GSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced their proposal to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a section of the Construction Consensus Improvement…

Congress Remains in Recess Until September 9th! Once Congress returns on September 9th, it will have a three-week sprint to face key legislative deadlines before departing again for campaign season, but political pressure and considerations could complicate the path to addressing those must-pass items. The election could make the chances of a government shutdown less…

ASA Urges Speaker Johnson to Delay the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) for One Year! ASA, along with 200 plus organizations, sent a letter to Speaker Johnson urging him to hold a vote on Rep. Nunn (R-IA)’s bipartisan legislation (H.R. 9278), which would delay the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)’s year-end filing deadline by one year. Rep.…

OSHA’s Proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Standard Continues to Move Forward OSHA’s proposed heat injury and illness prevention standard is now open and it will have a 120-day comment period, the deadline to submit feedback will be Monday, December 30th. Per an OSHA staffer, there will also be a “robust public hearing, with a…

Speaker Johnson Extends the FY24 Budget Until March 2025? When Congress returns next week, Speaker Johnson is expected to bring to the floor a continuing resolution (CR) next week, which would keep the government funded through March 2025. The bill will be funded at the Fiscal Responsibility Act levels minus the “side deals” worked out…

On Interest Rate Cuts and Job Growth Last Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the Labor Department announced that it had overstated job growth by more than 800,000 for the 12-month period ending in March. The preliminary figures suggest employers added about 174,000 jobs per month during that period, down from the previously reported pace of about…