AGC Houston and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are partnering to promote fall protection during the 2015 Safety Stand Down May 4-15, 2015.

4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Each year, AGC Houston recognizes companies that have participated in the Safety Stand-Down. Mark your calendars now for Wednesday, July 15, 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m at the Junior League of Houston. Speaker details and more information coming soon.

Completion of this course meets the requirements of OSHA Paragraph 1926.50, and participants will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid and CPR/AED wallet card valid for two years upon course completion.

AGC Houston and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are partnering to promote fall protection during the 2015 Safety Stand-Down, May 4-15, 2015. For the past 12 years, Houston members have been key supporters of the event, leading safety performance at the city, state and national levels.

This four-day course will teach participants advanced skills in conducting accident investigations that will aid in determining contributing factors that lead to the injury or fatality and how to develop a course of action to prevent future problems.

This course covers the OSHA Fall Protection Standards for construction and general industry and current fall protection methods.

Benefit from financial strength and a superior loss-control program. It is managed by a board composed of CompGroup AGC members—general contractors and subcontractors from all parts of Texas are represented. Learn more about membership benefits in the CompGroup AGC, Inc. today or click here for more information! Contact your insurance agent or call Program Administrator Roberts & Crow at 800-406-9614—ask for Julie Schatz.

AGC is pleased to announce the release of its newest marketing piece—a video highlighting the value of some of the discount programs available to AGC members.

The AGC Alternative is a private insurance exchange that operates like an online store, making it easy for your employees to shop for health insurance and other benefits on their own or through the help of our dedicated employee hotline.

Through Reliant Energy's agreement with the Texas Building Branch AGC, association members receive the following benefits:

• One-stop-shop service to install temporary meters
• No hassle temporary services enrollment
• Discounted prices
• Incentives for referring future tenants, friends and family

For more information on how Reliant can help your business, contact Reliant Energy or call 1-855-350-8656.

Did you know one of the many benefits of being an AGC Member is access to our résumé service? As a service to our members, we compile résumés of job-seeking professionals in the construction industry. To access this service, simply log in to the Members' Only section at agchouston.org to view the most current list.

Gilbane Building Co. recently broke ground on the new Menil Drawing Institute, which is part of an initial phase of construction on a 2009 master plan for the expansion of the campus. Also included in the $40 million for the first phase will be a new energy house to power the main art buildings, new green space and the extension of West Main Street around the institute on a block that currently meets a dead end. Scheduled to open in 2017, we're excited to see the finished product!

Contact Catherine Bezman or Jaclyn Lee with your information and photos.

As the last day of session nears, all eyes are on bills being reported from committees and scheduled for votes on the floor, and the House appears to be moving much more aggressively. The number of bills reported from committee in the original chamber is up 15 percent in the House and down 28 percent in the Senate.

Houston City Council Member Dwight E. Boykins  has initiated the "Workforce, Job Training, 2nd Chance Initiative" to assist the city's workforce shortage and to empower Houstonians by improving their quality of life and financial stability. To this end, a job fair will be held on the campus of Texas Southern University May 14.

Houston-based Kirksey has announced that it has transitioned from a firm owned solely by its founder, John Kirksey, to one in which the company's stock is split up between Kirksey and 25 other partners.

The Greater Houston Partnership said its initial 2015 job-growth forecast was too high, but the economic development organization is waiting for more data to revise the number.

Even as construction firms added jobs in 41 states between March 2014 and March 2015, construction employment declined in 29 states and the District of Columbia between February and March, according to an analysis today of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America.