老牛影视

On May 23, 老牛影视submitted comments to the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions ahead of the subcommittee鈥檚 hearing entitled, 鈥�.鈥� ABC鈥檚 letter highlighted the value of secret ballot elections to ensure that workers have a privacy protected vote that reflects their true preference for unionization in their workplace, criticized the NLRB for recent rulings, and expressed support for the Employee Rights Act that ensures the freedoms, rights, and choices of all America鈥檚 workers. You can view the full letter that was submitted for the record here.

On May 18, the Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing on 鈥�.鈥� 老牛影视submitted a statement for the record to the committee highlighting concerns with the burdensome and discriminatory prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements that will limit opportunities for many construction apprentices in nonregistered programs and place a strain on developers and contractors grappling with a shortage of more than 500,000 workers in the construction industry. You can read the full letter here.

On May 12, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service also released additional on the IRA鈥檚 domestic content bonus tax credits. The May 12 guidance states that taxpayers may receive another 10% tax credit increase for meeting domestic content requirements. All steel and iron on a project must be 100% produced in the United States to meet this requirement. Additionally, between 40% to 55%, depending on project type and the year construction begins, of the total cost of other components and subcomponents used on the project must be attributable to components that are mined, produced or manufactured in the United States in order to receive this bonus. The IRS previously on these requirements, and 老牛影视provided feedback regarding industry concerns about supply chain issues and cost increases that may be caused by these domestic content requirements in comments to Treasury and the IRS.

On May 18, Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont. introduced the Main Street Tax Certainty Act. The bill would prevent rate hikes on America鈥檚 individually and family-owned businesses by making permanent the Section 199A 20-percent deduction. This deduction was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act but is scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025.

The introduction of this legislation was widely anticipated in the business community, and 老牛影视joined with more than 140 trade associations representing millions of Main Street businesses in a strong for the legislation.

老牛影视joined more than 30 organizations in a letter opposing the nomination of Julie Su to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Labor. 老牛影视previously sent a letter opposing Su鈥檚 nomination and raising her questionable record over the past years as Deputy Secretary and her previous role in California.

Su鈥檚 nomination is currently stalled in the Senate as Republicans are united in opposition and moderate Democrats remain hesitant to support her while the White House is attempting a last-ditch effort to get her across the finish line.

On May 9, 老牛影视led a coalition of small business and construction organizations in a letter expressing concerns with new recommendations to the U.S. Department of Labor from the DOL鈥檚 Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship.

On May 10, the voted to approve to the DOL for potential revisions to the National Apprenticeship System. The ACA is an advisory body comprised of representatives from industries, labor organizations and other members of the public that provides advice to the agency on government-registered apprenticeship programs. These recommendations will inform the DOL鈥檚 upcoming proposed rule revising the GRAP system, .

Included in the recommendations are suggestions for the DOL to establish a new 鈥淨uality Seal鈥� program for GRAPs. Programs would be required to meet certain wage requirements, completion rates and apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios in order to receive the Quality Seal and accompanying preferential treatment for federal funding of GRAPs. Employer participants in Quality Seal GRAPs would receive preferential treatment in the bidding and awarding of federal and federally assisted construction projects. Additionally, some members of the ACA recommended that all GRAPs should be required to guarantee graduates such wages deemed 鈥渇amily-sustaining鈥� by the DOL.

On March 8, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled 鈥淒efending the Right of Workers to Organize Unions Free from Illegal Corporate Union-Busting,鈥� which will highlight the ABC-opposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act, sponsored by the HELP Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. 老牛影视sent a letter to the committee ahead of tomorrow鈥檚 hearing highlighting the most dangerous provisions of the bill and the negative effects they would have on the construction industry and the economy.

While the bill has been reintroduced, with Republicans in control of the U.S. House it will not come up for a vote as it has in previous years and will not meet the 60-vote threshold requirement for passage in the U.S. Senate.

View ABC鈥檚 Press Release on the bill here.

This week, U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Va., reintroduced the ABC-opposed National Apprenticeship Act. 老牛影视sent a letter to the Committee on April 27 highlighting concerns with the proposal and urging better access to apprenticeship opportunities for all of America鈥檚 workers.

While this bill has been proposed as a way to expand apprenticeship opportunities in America, in practice, the bill would limit access to apprenticeships for non-union employers and limit the flexibility of apprenticeship programs throughout the country. 老牛影视key voted against this ill-advised apprenticeship bill on the House floor last Congress, when the Democratic majority pushed the bill through a . Dr. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the Committee Chairwoman, , and with Republicans in control of the Committee and the House it is not likely to receive a floor vote.

On April 25, 老牛影视sent a letter of support for House Republican Leadership鈥檚 proposal to increase the debt ceiling while tackling Washington spending in a proposal that would save $4.5 trillion through slowed growth in government spending and cuts to priorities of the Biden administration.

The Limit, Save, Grow Act would establish spending levels for fiscal year 2024 at FY22 levels and allow only for 1% annual growth over the next 10 years, in exchange for raising the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or through March 31, 2024, whichever comes first. You can view a one-pager of the bill.

The bill also goes after the White House鈥檚 priorities, including rescinding funding under the Democrats鈥� Inflation Reduction Act, tax and spend reconciliation package from last year for IRS enforcement funding that will burden American taxpayers and small businesses with more audits and increased compliance costs; repealing ABC-opposed IRA energy tax credits that include burdensome and discriminatory prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements; ending the President鈥檚 executive action on student loan forgiveness; and reclaiming unspent COVID funds.

Additionally, the bill includes ABC-supported legislation, the REINS Act to block excessively burdensome agency rules and regulations, and H.R. 1 to unleash America鈥檚 energy production and ensure American energy independence.

On April 25, Senator Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., introduced the Save Local Business Act to make clear that an employer may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee only if such employer directly, actually, and immediately exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment. 老牛影视joined a coalition in support of the legislation, and issued a statement of support for the bill:

鈥淭he Save Local Business Act would combat destructive efforts to alter the long-standing joint employer standard and undermine the traditional business relationships between contractors and subcontractors. This legislation would ensure much-needed clarity, protect construction workers鈥� ability to own their own business and allow hundreds of thousands of small and local businesses throughout the country to continue to grow American jobs and help our economy thrive.鈥� 鈥� Kristen Swearingen, Associated Builders and Contractors vice president of legislative & political affairs

On April 19, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga., reintroduced the ABC-supported Employee Rights Act. The Employee Rights Act stands in stark contrast to the ABC-opposed PRO Act and would strengthen the rights, flexibility and privacy protections of workers. In the face of the Biden administration鈥攖hrough the National Labor Relations Board and U.S. Department of Labor鈥攕eeking to implement provisions of the PRO Act through regulatory action, the ERA would prevent this executive overreach through ensuring the use of secret ballots in union elections; stimulating local businesses and entrepreneurship opportunities; defending worker choice and independent contractors; protecting workers from unwanted political exploitation; and safeguarding employee privacy.

老牛影视signed a letter of support for the bill, which also received support letters from the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace and a diverse coalition of associations and organizations.

老牛影视also issued a press release highlighting our support for the ERA, and an action alert urging members of Congress to cosponsor the bill.