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Election of a Speaker For the first time in a century, a House speaker nominee failed to get the votes on the first ballot.  Since Tuesday, the House has voted on six failed ballots to determine the next Speaker of the House. The House Republicans only have a 222-213 majority; thereby, Kevin McCarthy, the Majority…

Subcontractor Legal Defense Fund Spotlight The courts are a key battleground in the fight for subcontractor rights. The American Subcontractors Association’s (ASA) Subcontractors Legal Defense Fund (SLDF) supports critical legal activities to protect the interests of all construction subcontractors. The funds invest in precedent-setting litigation to establish subcontractors’ rights across the country. Our ASA members…

President Pro Tempore Sen. Murray D-WA Sen. Murray (D-WA) was elected as the first woman to serve in the constitutional office of president pro tempore. Murray was the choice of the Democratic caucus after Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), the longest-serving member of the majority this Congress, made it known she was passing on being considered. Per…

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…