In a Dec. 19, 2017 Newsline article, 老牛影视reported that the Republican majority members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overruled the board鈥檚 2015 decision in Browning-Ferris Industries and returned to the previous joint employer standard that was in place for more than 30 years. The reversal was a victory for employers nationwide. However, on Feb. 26, the NLRB moved to vacate a recent joint employer decision (Hy-Brand Industrial Contractors Ltd.) and as a result, the board鈥檚 December action on the Browning-Ferris Industries is of no force or effect.

On Feb. 15, 老牛影视joined the Coalition to Save Local Business in a letter to Senate Leadership recommending that the Senate take up and pass H.R. 3441, the Save Local Business Act. H.R. 3441 will restore the 鈥渏oint employer鈥� standard that has been in place for over 30 years, bringing stability back into the economy for contractors and subcontractors across the country.

On Feb. 12, President Donald Trump announced the release of his administration鈥檚 infrastructure proposal. 老牛影视President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman issued the following statement on the president鈥檚 infrastructure plan:听鈥溊吓Ｓ笆觓pplauds the president for sending Congress a plan to rebuild America鈥檚 infrastructure. It is now time for lawmakers to develop legislation and policy to efficiently modernize America鈥檚 infrastructure and drive economic growth and prosperity for all Americans."

This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to bring the immigration debate to the floor through an open and unlimited amendment process that could subject senators on both sides of the aisle to politically tough votes. Through this process, a 60-vote threshold will be required for passage of any proposal.听

On Feb. 9, shortly before the White House released its 2019 budget request, both chambers of Congress passed, and the president signed, a funding agreement that sets a budget for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. The deal will raise federal spending caps by $300 billion in 2018 and 2019 and suspend the debt limit until 2019.

On Jan. 22, President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill (H.R.195) to end the government shutdown and fund government operations through Feb. 8. Included in the bill was a suspension for 2019 of the health insurance tax (HIT) on providers included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.听

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman released the following statement after Congress passed The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: 鈥淭his is a historic day for the construction industry. For too long, ABC鈥檚 21,000-plus members have paid the highest effective tax rate of any sector of the economy. We are a capital-intensive, cash-flow challenged, domestically oriented industry comprised mostly of small, family owned and closely held merit shop construction companies employing hardworking Americans. Our members have waited for Washington to let them keep more money in their paychecks, which would enable them to invest

Chuck Goodrich, president of Gaylor Electric, Inc., explained the Trump administration鈥檚 regulatory rollback is giving construction companies more efficiency and they don鈥檛 feel like they are 鈥渦nder attack鈥� from the federal government. According to Goodrich鈥檚 presentation, experts say President Trump is on pace to put out fewer rules than the 鈥渞eigning deregulation champion,鈥� President Ronald Reagan.

The U.S. Senate passed sweeping tax reform legislation on Dec. 2, overcoming a number of setbacks over the course of a long week.听 The effort to win over holdouts and cobble together the necessary votes led to a number of late-breaking changes to the bill, culminating in what was essentially a party line vote, with Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) as the only dissenting Republican.听

On Nov. 29, President Trump delivered a strong defense of reducing the tax burden on businesses of all sizes in his 鈥淏ring Back Main Street鈥� Speech in St. Charles, Mo. He urged Congress to push tax reform across the finish line as the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this week.