Members' Edge - March 1, 2017

AGC News

House Panel Approves AGC-Supported Regulatory Reforms

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed three AGC-backed regulatory reform bills on February 21.The Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, Regulatory Integrity Act, and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Insight, Reform and Accountability Act collectively would establish mechanisms to unwind obsolete, duplicative, overly burdensome, and ineffective regulations. The bills will likely move to the House floor for consideration in the coming weeks.

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2017/02/22/check-out-free-online-environmental-resources-and-tools-construction-industry to view the full article online.

AGC of America Announces Free Online Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center

Have you explored the Construction Industry Compliance Assistance (CICA) Center yet? The AGC-supported CICA Center is a unique, free resource on environmental compliance and sustainability that is open to the entire U.S. construction industry. AGC is also pleased to announce and welcome StormwaterONE as CICA’s 2017 Platinum Level Supporter.

Find out why 14,000 visitors access the CICA Center each month with these top five reasons to explore www.cicacenter.org (link is external)!

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2017/02/22/check-out-free-online-environmental-resources-and-tools-construction-industry to view the full article online.

AGC Releases January Construction Employment Figures

Construction employment increased by 36,000 jobs in January to the highest level since November 2008 as employers increased pay in an effort to address a chronic worker shortage, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. The association urged public officials to strengthen training and education programs to prepare more workers for careers in the high-paying construction field.

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2017/02/03/construction-employment-january-reaches-highest-level-2008-contractors-raise-pay to view the full article online.

AGC Of America Launches New Campaign To Promote The Commercial Construction Industry In Texas

The Associated General Contractors of America and its Texas chapters launched a new campaign on January 25, 2017 designed to highlight the many benefits of working in the construction industry. The new campaign, called Texas Builds, relies on testimonials from dozens of construction workers throughout Texas to highlight the industry's commitment to safety and the many career opportunities that exist in the sector.

Click Here to view the video.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=427599&issueID=56210 to view the full article online.

Member News

Aggregate Technologies Named Best Places To Work

Congratulations to Aggregate Technologies on being named in the Houston - Best Places To Work 2016 feature by the Houston Business Journal. Best Places to Work Lists are compiled by Quantum Workplace, which sent a survey to employees of nominated companies. Quantum then compiled scores based on corporate culture, amenities, benefits, and worker retention and attraction strategies. Among its recent projects, the company was featured in Concrete Openings magazine on its work at the New Orleans airport renovations.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=427601&issueID=56210 to view the full article online.

Texas Construction Law Firm Announces Name Change

Houston-based Cokinos | Young, formerly known as Cokinos, Bosien & Young, announced on February their new name, logo and website while re-affirming its commitment to serving clients in the construction and real estate industries. "Houston is where we began 28 years ago and remains our largest office," said Gregory M. Cokinos. "With offices in Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, we employ more than 60 attorneys and continue to uphold the values that have always been hallmarks of our firm – exceptional client service, the highest caliber of legal acumen and the best possible outcomes for our clients. We take great pride in the fact that our very first client when we established our firm in 1989, a prominent general contractor, remains our client today."

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=427912&issueID=56210 to view the full article online.

News you can Use

Revised EPA Permit Makes Site Operators Jointly, Severally Liable

The Environmental Protection Agency's 2017 construction general permit, taking effect February 16, 2017, will make site operators jointly and severally liable for infractions. Several industry groups oppose the provision.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=427604&issueID=56210 to view the full article online.

Flood Insurance Reform On Agenda For 2017

Congress is expected to focus on flood insurance reform in the spring, as the National Flood Insurance Program will expire Sept. 30. Some lawmakers support the development of a private flood insurance market as part of reform.

Visit http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/compliance-regulation/pitfalls-ahead-for-flood-insurance-reform-in-2017-1093568-1.html to view the full article online.

Join Houston Revit Users Group!

AGC Houston members are invited to join the Houston Revit Users group, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Revit and BIM application users range from beginner to expert skill levels. Since 2002, the Houston Area Revit Users Group (HARUG) has been the main resource in the area for Revit Users, AutoCAD Architecture (previously Architectural Desktop), AutoCAD and other BIM-related tools.

Visit http://www.meetup.com/RevitHouston/ to view the full article online.

OSHA Revises Outreach Training Program Guidelines

Attention OSHA Outreach Trainers!

OSHA
revises program guidelines to improve worker training program.

New documents include Program Requirements and separate Industry Procedures for Construction, General Industry, Maritime, and Disaster Site Worker.

Visit https://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/ to view the full article online.

Contractors College Offering Free Business Development Training For Minority, Women-Owned And Small Businesses

The
Kingdom Builder’s Center will be offering 15 qualifying historically
underutilized businesses as well as minority, women and small business
enterprise companies free assistance to grow their companies in commercial
construction. The program is designed to prepare small contractors for the
$6-$8 billion’s worth of public agency construction work. Qualifying AGC
Houston members may apply or, if you know of a small company that
can benefit from this mentorship program, please click here for more information.
Application deadline is March 14, 2017.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/pdf/Kingdom_Builders_Flyer_-.pdf to view the full article online.

Here's Looking at You

New Tech Talk Series Focus On Top Construction Software Trends

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=427598&issueID=56210 to view the full article online.

AGC Houston Hosts Texas Building Branch Safety Meeting

On February 24, in conjunction with the Safety Committee meeting, AGC hosted the quarterly Texas Building Branch safety meeting, which is composed of safety directors from across the state's chapters and chaired by Chris Roberts, Brookstone, LP. TBB President Mike Chatron gave an overview of some of the legislative issues that the safety committee is monitoring and how to get involved. Special thanks to Linbeck Group, LLC for sponsoring the breakfast. Look for more information about the meeting to be published on Friday in The Leading Edge safety newsletter.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=427770&issueID=56210 to view the full article online.