• AGC Advocacy Report

  • Michael Gifford, AGC Advocacy Director
    July 19, 2024

     

     

  • State

    AGC & BJ4C Conduct Candidate Interviews for the Nov 2024 Election
    AGC invested significant funding to support business and construction industry friendly candidates in the June 25 Primary election - and we achieved a great return on that investment on June 25 by winning 10 of 11 races we invested in.
     
    This week AGC & BJ4C (BuildingJobs4Colorado Coalition) interviewed 10 more candidates for the November 2024 General Election. Combined with our previous 2 days of interviews at the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, that is 3 full days of candidate interviews! We will be delivering a lot of candidate contributions to those candidates and discussing our construction issues with them. Then we will produce a Nov 2024 General Election Voter Guide for AGC members. Stay tuned!
     
    AGC Meets with One Main Street to Continue Election Progress
    AGC is an Executive Committee member of One Main Street and Advocacy Director Michael Gifford met with One Main Street this week to develop next steps in fostering a more moderate and balanced 2025 state legislature. Stay tuned for more info!
     
    AGC Meets with Simplify Colorado Sales & Use Tax Coalition to Continue Sales & Use Tax Simplification
    AGC is a member of the Simplify Colorado Sales & Use Tax Coalition (Simplify) and Advocacy Director Michael Gifford met with the Board this week to continue work on tax simplification. Simplify is participating in the legislature’s summer task force investigating how to further simplify sales & use and lodging taxes in Colorado. In 2024, Simplify was able to help pass 4 separate simplification bills in the legislature. Stay tuned for our progress as we move forward.
     
    AGC Legislative Committee Meets on August 6
    The next AGC Legislative Committee meeting is scheduled for August 6. There are 50 current members of the legislative committee. All member companies are eligible to have a member on the Legislative Committee. To attend a meeting and check it out or join the committee email Nicole Hoekstra at nicole@agccolorado.org or call Nicole at 303-388-2422.
     
    Two New Bid Protests are Part of AGC America's Efforts to Tame Biden's PLA Mandate
    On January 22, 2024, a federal regulation went into effect that mandates project labor agreements (PLAs) on direct federal construction projects of $35 million or more, with limited exceptions. AGC of America neither supports nor opposes contractors’ voluntary use of PLAs on government projects or elsewhere but strongly opposes any government mandate for or prohibition of contractors’ use of PLAs. AGC is committed to free and open competition for publicly funded work. AGC has long maintained that the federal government should not mandate PLAs. The government PLA mandates hurt both union contractors and open-shop contractors, and fail to promote economy and efficiency in federal procurement.
     
    This week AGC provided significant legal theory support to 2 AGC member firms that have filed bid protests over having to have a PLA in place to be able to bid on a federal project.
     
    Below are links to some of the many resources available to AGC members facing the new federal mandate and other PLA concerns.
    AGC of America Resources
     Other Resources and References
    Please contact Jordan Howard or Denise Gold at AGC America or Michael Gifford at AGC Colorado for more information.
     
    Inflation Reduction Act Energy Credits - Opportunities and Challenges for Contractors
    Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (EDT)
    Member Price: $0 Non-Member Price: $99
    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created game-changing opportunities for many projects to capitalize on the largest energy investment in U.S. history through tax credits. Complying with prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements (PW&A) under IRA can significantly enhance credit value by five times, and therefore many project owners are asking contractors to comply.
    It took nearly two years for the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirement final rule, leaving many contractors in a state of flux as project owners are pushing penalties and/or loss of credit to contractors. Yet, this also is a perfect opportunity for contractors to take advantage of the boom of projects seeking energy credits.
    Unfortunately, being “in accordance with” Davis-Bacon but not a covered act has created significant confusion for contractors. This is tax credit compliance for the IRS, and there are record-keeping requirements for an extended period of time.
    This session will review the final PW&A rule, explain recordkeeping, and provide recommendations on how contractors can help their projects comply. Presenter Baker Tilly will also review fundamentals of the IRA base and adder credits, including domestic content, energy community, and prevailing wage.
     
    AGC Bill Tracker
    For a complete list of AGC bill positions for the 2024 legislative session see our handy dandy AGC Bill Tracker. For questions, contact Michael Gifford at mgifford@agccolorado.org.

  • Federal

    What Contractors Need to Know About Potential Restrictions on Chinese Drones 
    Congress eyes restricting the use of the most popular brand of drones. - Read more
     
    Two New Bid Protests are Part of AGC America's Efforts to Tame Biden's PLA Mandate
    Successful Outcome Could Block Federal Officials from Including Project Labor Agreement (PLA) Mandate in Projects Valued over $35 million. - Read more
     
    The Latest on the Francis Scott Key Bridge Replacement
    Congress grapples over the high price tag to build a new bridge and how much of it the federal government should cover. - Read more
     
    The Inflation Reduction Act Energy Credits - Opportunities and Challenges for Contractors
    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created game-changing opportunities for many projects to capitalize on the largest energy investment in U.S. history through tax credits.  - Read more
     
    Where is All of the Broadband Funding?
    Despite record funding from the IIJA, no broadband projects have broken ground.  - Read more