On Jan. 31, President Trump signed an executive order, 鈥淪trengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects,鈥� which expands the administration鈥檚 preferences for American products in federal procurements and federal financial assistance awards on critical infrastructure projects.

On Jan. 28, ABC听submitted comments听on the National Labor Relations Board鈥檚听joint employer proposal, which would establish an updated standard for determining joint-employer liability under the National Labor Relations Act. Additionally, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace听submitted comments听in support of the NLRB鈥檚 proposal.

On Jan. 25, OSHA issued the Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule, which eliminates the requirement for establishments with 250 or more employees to electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) to OSHA annually.

Employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration鈥檚 recordkeeping rule are required to post their听2018 OSHA Form 300A听work-related injury and illness log summaries in an area where notices to employees are typically posted from Feb. 1 through April 30. The form must be posted in a visible spot at each covered听establishment.

On Jan. 18, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service听issued final regulations听and听three related pieces of guidance听implementing the new qualified business income deduction (also known as the section 199A deduction). The new 20 percent deduction for pass-through entities was created by the听ABC-supported Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

OSHA鈥檚 Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule requires certain establishments to electronically submit information from their OSHA Form 300A for calendar year 2018 by March 2. Information on how to electronically submit the OSHA Form 300A can be found on OSHA鈥檚 Injury Tracking Application website.

On Dec. 21, ABC听submitted comments听to the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Employee Benefits Security Administration in support of its听proposed rule听to allow small and mid-sized businesses to band together and offer 401(k) plans to their employees through听association retirement plans.

On Dec. 28, 2018, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the 2015听Browning-Ferris Industries v. National Labor Relations Board听case, which greatly expanded joint employer liability under the National Labor Relations Act. The divided court upheld portions of the Obama-era standard for determining 鈥渏oint employer鈥� status and remanded the case back to the NLRB for further consideration.

On Dec. 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps and Engineers jointly听issued a proposal听to revise the definition of 鈥渨aters of the United States鈥� to clarify federal authority under the Clean Water Act. The proposed rule seeks to provide businesses and landowners with clear definitions of what are and what are not 鈥榥avigable waters.鈥� 老牛影视President and CEO Michael Bellaman attended the signing ceremony for the rulemaking at the听U.S. EPA.

老牛影视sent a听letter听to the U.S. Senate in support of the FIRST STEP Act, which was introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). This bipartisan bill addresses the important issue of prison reform with the goal of lowering recidivism rates by helping incarcerated individuals prepare to reenter their communities.