ARTBA for ARTBA

Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR

ARTBA urged President Trump to overturn Executive Order 13502 requiring project labor agreements on federal-aid construction projects.

Contacted: Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Small Business Administration (SBA); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Treasury, Dept of; SENATE; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; President of the U.S.; White House Office

Roads/Highway ROD

ARTBA urged House and Senate Leaders to allow the use of federal funding to implement automated enforcement, if permitted by a state, in work zones.

Contacted: Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Defense, Dept of (DOD); White House Office; Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Small Business Administration (SBA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); President of the U.S.; SENATE; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Civil Rights/Civil Liberties CIV

Urged proper implementation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. Discussed several larger DBE program issues, including the legal and regulatory limitations on prime contractors abilities to help grow DBE capacity as well as the disparity between the pool of certified DBE firms and those actually able to participate as subcontractors on federal-aid highway projects.

Contacted: Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Treasury, Dept of; SENATE; Small Business Administration (SBA); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); White House Office; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Defense, Dept of (DOD); President of the U.S.; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Transportation, Dept of (DOT)

Transportation TRA

ARTBA staff met with members of Congress and Trump Administration officials to discuss myriad federal transportation issues, including the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. ARTBA met with House and Senate staff to discuss priorities for reauthorization of the surface transportation program. ARTBA met with House and Senate staff to express support for an extension of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act reauthorization law. ARTBA urged Congress to make reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program a central part of COVID-19 recovery efforts. ARTBA also supported $37 billion in direct aid to state departments of transportation as part of COVID-19 recovery efforts. ARTBA opposed any efforts to temporarily suspend or permanently repeal a dedicated user fee that generates revenue to support surface transportation improvements as part of COVID-19 recovery efforts. ARTBA supported the inclusion of direct financial assistance for state highway programs in H.R. 6800, the "Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Energy Solutions" (HEROES) Act. ARTBA supported passage of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. ARTBA also urged support and opposition for various specific amendments to the act.

Contacted: Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Small Business Administration (SBA); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); President of the U.S.; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); SENATE; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); White House Office; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

Bills named: H.R. 6800 (116th), H.R. 2 (116th)

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

ARTBA staff met with various congressional offices to urge inclusion of a long-term Highway Trust Fund revenue solution in any legislation with a tax title or as a stand-alone measure. ARTBA urged Congress to lift the $15 billion cap on Private Activity Bonds (PABs) for highway construction projects.

Contacted: Defense, Dept of (DOD); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Small Business Administration (SBA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); President of the U.S.; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); SENATE; White House Office; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Treasury, Dept of; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

ARTBA opposed amendment 72 to Division C of H.R. 7608, the "State, Foreign Operations, Agriculture, Rural Development, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2021." The amendment would have blocked implementation of recently executed reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Contacted: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Treasury, Dept of; President of the U.S.; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Small Business Administration (SBA); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); White House Office; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

Bills named: H.R. 7608 (116th)

Small Business SMB

ARTBA supported S. 4117, the "Paycheck Protection Program Small Business Forgiveness Act." ARTBA supported a technical amendment to S. 3548, the "Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security" (CARES) Act addressing the tax treatment of Paycheck Protection Program loans allowing borrowers to deduct the same expenses that qualified them for loan forgiveness. ARTBA urged Congress to expand eligibility for businesses to participate in a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Contacted: Internal Revenue Service (IRS); White House Office; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Defense, Dept of (DOD); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Treasury, Dept of; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Small Business Administration (SBA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); President of the U.S.

Bills named: S. 3548 (116th), S. 4117 (116th)

Environment/Superfund ENV

ARTBA supported the Council on Environmental Quality's efforts to modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). ARTBA supported Passage of H.R. 8333, the "Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews" Act. ARTBA supported passage of S. 4589, the Endangered Species Act Amendments of 2020. ARTBA advocated for changes to H.R. 1603, the Allen Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act. Specifically, the association expressed concern about the potential effects of an incorrect definition of what constitutes asbestos on aggregate products, an ingredient in the production of concrete and asphalt, among other common uses throughout society.

Contacted: SENATE; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Treasury, Dept of; White House Office; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Small Business Administration (SBA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; President of the U.S.; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Defense, Dept of (DOD)

Bills named: H.R. 8333 (116th), H.R. 1603 (116th), S. 4589 (116th)

Government Issues GOV

ARTBA met with Department of Transportation officials to discuss regulatory reform priorities.

Contacted: Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); President of the U.S.; SENATE; White House Office; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Treasury, Dept of; Small Business Administration (SBA); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers)

Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW

Urged opposition to expanding the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers jurisdictional authority under the Clean Water Act to include all U.S. water bodies.

Contacted: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Small Business Administration (SBA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); White House Office; Defense, Dept of (DOD); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); SENATE; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Treasury, Dept of; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); President of the U.S.; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

Communications/Broadcasting/Radio/TV COM

ARTBA opposed a decision by the Federal Communications Commission's acceptance of Ligado Networks, LLC's application to provide 5G services nationwide. ARTBA also filed a petition for reconsideration of the decision with the FCC.

Contacted: Treasury, Dept of; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); SENATE; White House Office; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Defense, Dept of (DOD); President of the U.S.; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Small Business Administration (SBA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Internal Revenue Service (IRS)