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On Friday, July 8, the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment held a hearing on H.R. 104, the “Realize America’s Maritime Promise (RAMP)” Act, which was introduced by Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) to require that all revenue in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) is invested in U.S. harbor construction and maintenance. 

House Expected to Approve Energy and Water Appropriations BillThe House of Representatives is expected to pass the FY2012 Energy and Water Appropriations bill today. Under the bill, the Army Corps of Engineers civil works program would be funded at $4.76 billion, a decrease of nearly $89 million from last year’s level and $195 million above the budget request.2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee SummaryRequest

On July 11, 2011, AGC submitted comments on the April 26, 2011, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP) notice of proposed rulemaking, which would implement significant revisions of the regulations governing affirmative action requirements for direct federal contractors and subcontractors with respect to protected veterans. AGC fully supports OFCCP’s stated overall goal of increasing employment opportunities for covered veterans; however, AGC does not support the burdensome requirements of this proposed rule, nor does AGC believe more covered veterans will be hired as a result of the proposed requirements.

On June 23, the House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2012 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. The legislation provides annual funding for the Treasury Department, the Executive Office of the President, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, the Small Business Administration, the General Services Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and several other independent agencies.

It's no secret that enforcement has increased and many companies have faced recent audits, resulting in fines and penalties for the first time, but for most, debarment has only been a mere threat for non-compliance until now.  Previously, Department of Labor (DOL) officials explained that debarment would be more widely sought as punishment for federal contractors who fail to comply with the law because in their opinion, contractors do not take fines seriously and consider fines as only a cost of doing business.

AGC Will Monitor Implementation to Protect Contractors from Baseless Fraud Claims

AGC sent a series of new letters to several Federal agencies concerning the potential use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on upcoming construction projects. These letters are the latest of AGC’s continuing efforts to educate government agencies about PLA issues and implications:  

The House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee has moved the FY12 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, setting the stage for the full committee mark-up scheduled for June 15.

On June 3, AGC’s general counsel testified in Congress in support of H.R. 735, the Government Neutrality in Contracting Act.

On June 2, key officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force, Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command held an open industry forum to discuss their plans to create an evaluation factor for Total Ownership Costs (TOC) of certain types of facility construction.