Legal and Regulatory

WASHINGTON, May 13—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator rose to a 20-month high of 8.7 months in April, according to an ABC member survey conducted April 22 to May 6. The reading is up 0.3 months since April 2024. View ABC’s ...

WASHINGTON, May 2—The U.S. Department of Labor’s May 1 announcement says it will pause enforcement of the 2024 Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act final rule in current enforcement matters while the agency reviews this regulation. ...

In the world of construction contracts, negotiations are critical to shaping fair and reasonable agreements that allocate risk to the proper party. However, those negotiations give rise to ethical considerations. Ethical negotiations require transparency, finding the right balanc...

Updated April 9, 2:55pm: President Trump has issued a 90-day pause on tariffs for more than 75 trading partners who did not retaliate after last week’s sweeping order. THE 25% TARIFF ON CANADIAN AND MEXICAN PRODUCTS On March 3, 2025, the Trump administration announced that the...

Construction businesses have faced a rising tide of challenges since the pandemic. The labor shortage, worker safety threats and more have created a difficult environment for business owners to find opportunities for growth while keeping their operations running smoothly and safe...

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president and quickly issued a sweeping set of executive orders aimed at reversing Biden administration policies related to diversity, immigration, national security and climate. The orders require enactment throug...

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing industries like construction by automating repetitive tasks and providing initial insights. Despite ongoing advancements in AI, however, the human element remains crucial in managing construction claims and disputes, as experienced advoc...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20—Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck commended the Council on Environmental Quality’s interim final rule repealing all National Environmental Policy Act regulations previously issued by CEQ. “Th...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19—Associated Builders and Contractors celebrated a Feb. 12 policy shift by the U.S. General Services Administration that will restore merit-based competition for infrastructure contracts to build land port of entry projects procured by the GSA. “The GSA’s new p...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11—Associated Builders and Contractors celebrated a Feb. 7 decision by the U.S. Department of Defense, released to the public on Feb. 11, that will restore merit-based competition for taxpayer-funded construction projects procured by military agencies. “The DoD’...