• AGC Advocacy Report

  • Michael Gifford, AGC President & CEO
    May 06, 2022

     

     

  • State

     

    Proposal to Lower Unemployment Insurance Rates by $100+ Per Employee Advances in Senate
    AGC has worked since last year with partner organizations to fix the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit balance of $1B, and avoid steep increases in unemployment insurance rates going forward. The good news is that SB22-234 Unemployment Compensation allocates $600M of federal ARPA funds against the $1B deficit balance and puts the UITF on a path to above zero by Nov of 2022. That means lowering UI rates by over $100 per employee per year. The bill has cleared the Senate and it’s first House Committee and should make it through the process by the end of the session on May 11. Click here for a good summary of the bill impacts by the Common Sense Institute.
     
    Take Action to Pass SB22-234!!!
    We need your help in getting the legislature to pass SB22-234. Please click here to send an email to your state senator and representative asking them to Vote Yes on SB22-234.
     
    AGC Achieves Major Amendments on SB22-161 Wage Theft Employee Misclassification Enforcement
    AGC CEO Michael Gifford, lead lobbyist Jeff Weist, and legislative committee member David Arkell (Moye White) and Board Member Todd Fredrickson (Fisher Phillips) have spent many hours evaluating the 35-page bad for construction SB22-161 Wage Theft Employee Misclassification Enforcement bill. This week AGC achieved major amendments to the bill and testified in support of the modified bill in the Senate.
     
    AGC Works With HOA Coalition to Kill HB22-1363 Accountability to Taxpayers Special Districts
    AGC is an executive committee level member of the Homeownership Opportunity Alliance (HOA) and invests significant funds into the organization to represent the construction industry on homeownership affordability issues. HOA is opposing HB22-1363 Accountability to Taxpayers Special Districts. This bill would have significantly restricted financing through metro districts for new residential and mixed-use development. AGC and HOA were able to kill this bill in the Senate State Affairs committee late last night. AGC and HOA invested in social media and other communications to get the word out that Colorado has a 100,000 unit housing shortage - and metro districts provide much of the funding for the infrastructure for new housing development in our state.
     
    AGC Works with HOA Coalition to Achieve Major Amendments to HB22-1362 Building Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    AGC is an executive committee level member of the Homeownership Opportunity Alliance (HOA) and invests significant funds into the organization to represent the construction industry on homeownership affordability issues. HOA is opposing HB22-1362 Building Greenhouse Gas Emissions which proposes that the state would write a one-off statewide energy code instead of using established IBC codes. This action by the state would make construction, including home construction, more costly and make utility bills more expensive for commercial and residential users. HOA has been educating legislators and consumers about the negative effects of HB22-1362 if it were to pass, and this week achieved major amendments that make the bill less onerous on buildings and construction. Stay tuned as this bill winds it way through the rest of the process.
     
    AGC Joins Coalition to Extend Pikes Peak Rural Transit Authority
    AGC has joined the coalition and is investing advocacy funds into the coalition to renew the 1% local sales tax to build regionally significant road and bridge projects in Colorado Springs and El Paso County. PPRTA was first approved by the voters in 2004 and was renewed by the voters in 2012 for the period from 2014 to 2024. It is now up for renewal on the Nov. 2022 ballot, to continue funding from 2024 to 2034. Strong investments in infrastructure in Colorado Springs region have led to a robust commercial building market in the region. PPRTA comprises six local jurisdictions: Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, the towns of Ramah, Calhan, and Green Mountain Falls, and unincorporated El Paso County. Through PPRTA, these local governments work together to solve major infrastructure problems that benefit the region.
     
    AGC Meets with C3 to Develop Response to Legislative Issues
    AGC CEO Michael Gifford met with C3 members this week to develop coordinated response to newly introduced bill and bills moving through the process. AGC, CCA and HBA are the 3 construction associations that invest in C3 to address the overwhelming amount of bad for business legislation being introduced in the past few legislative sessions.
     
    AGC Legislative Committee to Meet on May 17 to Celebrate the End of the 2022 Legislative Session
    The AGC Legislative Committee will hold a reception on May 17 in the afternoon to celebrate the end of the session and thank committee members for all their hard work in representing the construction industry this year. If you are interested in checking out the committee or joining us please contact AGC Office Manager Nicole Hoekstra at nicole@agccolorado.org.
     
    Join the Build Colorado Team and Speak With One Voice – Text BuildColorado to 73075
    AGC has formed the Build Colorado Team and is inviting members to join our growing list of people and companies that are willing to email, tweet or call legislators to ask them to support or oppose public policy that would help or hurt our economy, industry, and quality of life here in Colorado. Joining the team is super easy, you text BuildColorado to 73075 or click here, then fill in your name, cell phone and email address in the form, and then get ready to send pre-written (or customize if you want) communication to your state representatives. Join the Build Colorado Team today and help AGC Speak with One Voice!
     
    Avoid a 25%+ Increase in Your Unemployment Insurance Rates – Join Build Colorado Team and Help AGC at the Capitol
    AGC has been helping lead the effort to avoid an expected 25% increase in unemployment insurance rates. In total a new CSI report estimates that all Colorado business will pay $5B more in rates in the next 5 years without state legislative action.
    Please Text BuildColorado to 73075 and fill in a few pieces of info in the form, then click here to send a pre-written note to you state senator and state representative to ask them to avoid the 25%+ increase by paying off the -$1B UITF deficit balance.

  • Federal
    AGC Supports Construction Safety Week and OSHA’s Fall Prevention Stand-Down 
    As a demonstration of AGC of America's leadership in construction safety and health, association staff delivered remarks at two events to help kick off Construction Safety Week and OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction from May 2-6. - Read more
     
    OSHA Leaders to Address AGC'S Construction, Safety & Environmental Conference
    Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn more about OSHA's recent rulemaking and policy initiatives affecting the construction industry. - Read more
     
    Surety From a Different Angle
    Whether you are undertaking or supporting the next challenging project, you always look for new ways to build smarter. - Read more
     
    Senate Committee Unanimously Passes Water Resources Legislation
    WRDA 2022 will create jobs, improve the quality of life for all Americans, protect our communities, facilitate waterborne commerce, restore environmentally sensitive areas of the country, and help grow our economy. - Read more
     
    Update: USDOT Proposes Slowed Transition into New Buy America Requirements
    AGC of America supports transition waiver as supply chain disruptions remain. - Read more
     
    Got Questions for A Federal Agency? Submit Them for AGC’S Federal Contractors Conference
    Register today for AGC’s Federal Contractors Conference: June 20-22. - Read more
     
    Political Snippets from Across the Country
    Check out these political snippets on congressional, gubernatorial and state races from across the country. - Read more
     

  • Upcoming Events

     
  •