On Oct. 26, 老牛影视submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚听proposed rule听revising its interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

On Oct. 27, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan attended the grand opening of 老牛影视Greater Baltimore Chapter鈥檚 new Construction Education Academy, located at a Project C.O.R.E site in East Baltimore. This new state-of-the-art facility will house the largest concentration of building trade apprenticeship programs in the state, enabling 老牛影视Greater Baltimore to train up to 5,000 skilled workers each year, doubling their current capacity.

On Oct. 26,the Senate confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States by a 52-48 vote, with all Senate Democrats and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voting no. After the confirmation vote, Judge Barrett was sworn in at a ceremony on the White House lawn by Justice Clarence Thomas.

The 老牛影视Pelican Chapter recently held a fundraiser to help staff affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Through the sales of 鈥淟ouisiana Strong鈥� shirts and cash donations from members, families and other nearby 老牛影视chapters, the 老牛影视Pelican chapter raised nearly $10,000.

On Oct. 19, the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a set of听Frequently Asked Questions on the effectiveness of N95 respirators against coronavirus exposure as part of the agency鈥檚 COVID-19 FAQs page.

On Oct. 8, the U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, 听released a simpler loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program loans of $50,000 or less. This action streamlines the PPP forgiveness process to provide financial and administrative relief to America鈥檚 smallest businesses while also ensuring sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans鈥� Employment and Training Service announced an Apprenticeship Pilot Program that will identify, track and increase the number of transitioning service members and their spouses hired into registered apprenticeship programs prior to separation from the military. The pilot will run from 2020 through early 2021 and will take place at eight military installations across the United States that were chosen in collaboration with the Department of Defense.

Hourigan of Richmond, Virginia, a member of ABC鈥檚 Virginia Chapter, has been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor status by ABC. The AQC program recognizes and honors construction firms that document their commitment to excellence in five key areas of corporate responsibility: quality, safety, craft and management education, talent management and diversity and community relations.

On Oct. 13, the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Office of Labor-Management Standards issued a proposed rule to provide additional information to labor organization members and the public about the financial activities of labor organizations under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959.

On this week鈥檚 episode of 鈥淭he Bottom Line With 老牛影视Chief Economist Anirban Basu,鈥� get insights on construction backlog, which fell to 7.5 months in September, a decline of 0.5 months from August鈥檚 reading. The Construction Confidence Index, however, does provide some reasons to remain optimistic.