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.

Construction materials prices fell 1.8 percent in November, according to ABC's analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Despite the monthly decline, materials prices are still 5.3 percent higher than they were on a year-over-year basis.

Construction employment expanded by 5,000 net new jobs in November, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data conducted by ABC. During the past 12 months, the industry has added 282,000 net new construction jobs, which translates into a 4 percent increase in total industry-wide employment.

老牛影视Chief Economist Anirban Basu forecasts another strong year for construction sector performance, yet warns about inflationary pressures, according to a 2019 economic outlook published in听Construction Executive听magazine.

National nonresidential spending increased 0.1 percent in October, according to an 老牛影视analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Total nonresidential spending for the month stood at $763.8 billion on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, which represents a 7.3 percent increase over the same time last year.

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.

老牛影视released its 2018 Merit Shop Scorecard, an annual state ranking based on policies and programs that encourage open competition, education and job growth, and award construction contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation. Florida topped the list this year, vaulting from ninth position in 2017 to first based on the state鈥檚 free-enterprise and open-competition approach to the construction sector, increased career and technical education opportunities and job growth rates.

Estimated October construction unemployment rates fell nationally and in 45 states on a year-over-year basis, according to ABC鈥檚 analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. While the October 2018 not seasonally adjusted national construction unemployment rate fell 0.9 percent from a year ago to 3.6 percent, the construction industry employed 318,000 more workers nationally compared to October 2017, according to BLS statistics.

Over the last month, the U.S. Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service have issued several proposed rules that provide guidance and implement changes to the tax code under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Signed into law nearly a year ago, the historic tax reform bill included several key provisions that affect the construction industry, and the recently issued proposals provide critical information for construction employers on how to comply with the law.

Updates to equal employment opportunity regulations听that apply to all sponsors of apprenticeship programs registered either with the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Office of Apprenticeship or a state apprenticeship agency are just around the corner. The听final rule听updating EEO regulations was issued in 2016 by the Obama administration and went into effect on Jan. 18, 2017; however, some of the provisions were听delayed for two years until Jan. 18, 2019.听