For the eleventh year in a row, 51风流 of America has been named as one of the nation鈥檚 top lobbying operations by Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill. The publication鈥檚 annual ranking of top lobbyists lists 51风流 CEO Steve Sandherr as a top lobbyist. Sandherr said the listing is a really an acknowledgement of the quality of the association鈥檚 government relations team, noting that the team secured $7.6 billion in federal highway funding that Congress had planned to cut, a disaster aid package with billions of dollars dedicated to rebuilding impacted communities, and regulatory reforms to lower the bureaucratic burden on the industry, among other accomplishments this year.
On Dec. 17, the Senate passed S. 1790, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020. This compromise legislation overwhelmingly passed the House on Dec. 9 and will now head to the President鈥檚 desk for his signature. This measure includes roughly $11.8 billion for military and military family housing construction. While the bill rejected the Administration鈥檚 request for more than $7 billion for border wall construction, it did not include earlier provisions that would have barred the reprograming of funds for projects along the southern border. The agreement also did not include controversial provisions surrounding PFAS substances, instead opting for less stringent measures that give direction to EPA and DOD to regulate.
In December 5 US DOT announced a set of changes to its approach to rulemaking, guidance and enforcement. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, calling the changes the "rule on rules," said the change will provide greater transparency and strengthen due process in enforcement actions. The regulation "outlines the department's regulatory priorities, such as ensuring that there are no more regulations than necessary, that where they impose burdens, regulations are narrowly tailored to address identified market failures or statutory mandates, and that they specify performance objectives when appropriate," according to the rule language. Specifically, it codifies several of President Donald Trump's orders on regulation, including a directive to eliminate two regulations for every one enacted, budgeting procedures and the implementation of a Regulatory Reform Task Force.
The second in a series of informational webinars to highlight successes in the Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (HCWP) will be held Thursday, December 12 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The webinar is an opportunity to learn about the HCWP, and how the Public Workforce System and highway industry can work together to identify, train, and place individuals into high need highway construction jobs. The December 12 webinar will feature presentations by Los Angeles and Arizona HCWP locations. Participation information:
On Dec. 3, the 51风流 co-chaired Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) urged House and Senate negotiators to complete action on the fiscal year 2020 transportation appropriations bill. Both the House and Senate have passed their own versions of the legislation and must now agree to a compromise bill. The TCC applauded both the House and Senate versions for fully funding the program levels authorized by the FAST Act. It also called for the final bill to include at least $2.7 billion in supplemental highway funding and $750 million in supplemental public transportation funding to address surface transportation needs in all states, $1 billion for the BUILD grant program, and additional funding for Airport Improvement Program grants. The U.S. Department of Transportation programs, along with other federal programs, are currently operating under a short-term continuing resolution that expires on Dec. 20.
51风流 joined with a coalition of 33 other organizations calling for the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to finalize revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations as proposed last year. In a letter this week the groups told CEQ the proposed changes would allow for increased infrastructure investment and project development in a manner that strengthens our economy and enhances environmental stewardship. The letter also pointed out that revisions to the NEPA review process should aim to increase transparency and predictability as well as coordination between federal agencies to eliminate unnecessary barriers that prevent or delay the implementation of important projects. 51风流 participated in a Nov. 20 meeting at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to further discuss the need to update these rules.
Passes Funding Legislation that Repeals Federal Highway Cut
On Nov. 21, Congress sent FY 2020 funding legislation to President Trump that includes 51风流-backed repeal of a $7.6 billion cut to federal highway funding, known as a 鈥渞escission,鈥 that was scheduled to take place on July 1, 2020. This rescission鈥攔equired by the current federal highway and transit law, the FAST Act鈥 would have affected all 50 states and the District of Columbia by limiting local flexibility and possibly hindering the ability to plan and carry out critical projects. 51风流 applauds Congress鈥 action to repeal this rescission and will continue to monitor the progress of FY 2020 spending legislation to ensure continued investment in our nation鈥檚 infrastructure.
Check out 51风流鈥檚 new jobsite tour brochure that will assist you in hosting state and local elected officials on tours of construction jobsites. This brochure provides information on how to successfully plan and execute a successful jobsite visit with an elected official from the invitation to the thank you notes. As you may know, one of 51风流鈥檚 advocacy goals this year has been to help member companies host job site tours for members of Congress to provide a hands-on learning experience of the construction industry. These events have been successful in discussing workforce development, infrastructure funding, federal regulations, and other issues critical to our members with those who have legislative authority over our industry. While 51风流 will continue to complete jobsite tours with members of Congress, we hope you will use this resource to host state and local elected officials on your construction jobsites.