News for Legislation
Governor announces mandatory DBE goals for WSDOT contracts
Governor Jay Inslee is implementing mandatory subcontracting goals on WSDOT projects. Specifically, as of January 31, WSDOT will implement a combination of mandatory (18.7%) and aspirational (26%) contract goals for WSDOT construction and design contracts.
Posted on: 01/19/2016
Appeal of onerous stormwater permit continues
As reported in the previous AGC Works, AGC and other industry groups have filed an appeal of DOE’s new Construction Stormwater General Permit, which became effective Jan. 1.
Posted on: 01/19/2016
AGC, WACA, BIAW, ABC appeal DOE’s new stormwater permit
AGC and other construction industry groups have filed an appeal of the new Construction Stormwater General Permit, which became effective on January 1, 2016.
Posted on: 01/04/2016
Long-term federal highway bill finally signed into law
Washington State’s apportionment increases from $654 million in fy 2015 to an estimated $688 million in fy 2016. Click highway bill.
Posted on: 12/15/2015
U.S. House and Senate pass long-term highway bills
Contact your Congressmen and tell them to support a long-term bill! Send your message via AGC of America’s Hardhats for Highways website!
Posted on: 11/13/2015
Unintended consequences of Governor’s carbon plan
Gov. Inslee has asked the Department of Ecology to write a rule that would cap and reduce carbon pollution (greenhouse gasses). Ecology is focusing on businesses and organizations (see the list here) that are responsible for producing 100,000 metric tons or more of greenhouse gases.
Posted on: 11/13/2015
Looking ahead to 2016
Legislators are already looking ahead to the 2016 elections which will be a very big deal for our state Legislature. All 98 members of the State House and 25 member of the State Senate are up for election plus all of the statewide races such as Governor and Lt. Governor.
Posted on: 10/22/2015
AGCWA leaders visit Congress to urge passage of highway bill, pension reform
Act now! All members of the U.S. House of Representatives need to hear from their constituents that any further extensions are unacceptable.
Posted on: 10/13/2015
NLRB’s joint-employer decision could have implications in construction
While employers were troubled by the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to issue a complaint against McDonald’s last year based on the alleged unfair labor relations acts of its franchisors, the Board’s pending Browning-Ferris decision represented more potential downside for the construction industry based on the Board’s potential expansion of the definition of “joint employers.”
Posted on: 09/28/2015
AGC of America comments on CMGC proposal
The MAP-21 transportation bill allows states to use the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC, also known as GCCM) contracting method for Federal-aid highway projects. The Federal Highway Administration has now proposed the regulations that will govern how this contracting method can be used.
Posted on: 09/28/2015
State Supreme Court rules that gas tax rebates to Tribes are constitutional
AGC and allies within the business community lost a legal battle recently when the State Supreme Court ruled that gas-tax rebates to tribes are constitutional.
Posted on: 09/28/2015
US Senate passes long-term highway bill; focus now on the House
The US Senate passed a six-year transportation reauthorization bill – the first time in years that an actual long-term bill was passed rather than a “kick the can down the road” short-term fix. Now it’s up to the House.
Posted on: 08/07/2015
Washington State still has highest workers' comp benefit costs
Latest figures show that Washington States benefits costs per worker are the highest in the nation at $827.
Posted on: 08/25/2015
Inslee creates subcabinet to boost business diversity
Gov. Jay Inslee convened a new subcabinet focused on increasing access for small and minority- women- and veteran-owned businesses to contracting opportunities with Washington State government.
The Governor said diverse businesses make up only about 1 percent of the $6.1 billion that the state s...
Posted on: 08/07/2015
Gov. Inslee developing regulatory cap on carbon emissions
Gov. Jay Inslee recently directed the state Department of Ecology to step up enforcement of existing state pollution laws and develop a regulatory cap on carbon emissions. The Governor said the regulatory cap on carbon emissions would force a significant reduction in air pollution and will be the...
Posted on: 08/07/2015
Dozens of higher-ed construction projects in new capital budget
More than three-quarters of a billion dollars became available for higher education capital projects thanks to enactment of the AGC-backed 2015-1017 state capital-budget bill. As reported previously in AGC Works the measure includes nearly $4 billion in total funding about $500 million more than ...
Posted on: 07/27/2015
$16 billion transportation plan passes Legislature!
Completion of State Routes 167 and 509 the North-South Corridor in Spokane and the west end of the 520 bridge – projects decades in the making – will actually come to pass thanks to final passage of the comprehensive transportation-funding package.
Thanks to a relentless push by AGC and allies i...
Posted on: 07/13/2015
Design-build, permit reform, practical design among bills signed by Governor
As complements to the transportation revenue package the Legislature passed AGC-backed bills that improve permitting processes and authorize expanded use of design-build. On July 6 Governor Inslee signed the following bills into law. Click the links below for additional information.
In photo AGC...
Posted on: 07/13/2015
School construction gets big boost in $4B state capital budget
One of AGC’s top legislative priorities this year was passage of a capital budget that increases investments in long-term construction projects. Therefore AGC applauds passage of the 2015-2017 state capital budget and the significant new investments that it makes.
New headquarters for the Washin...
Posted on: 07/13/2015
Legislature: Double-overtime nearly over; no budget agreement yet
The State Legislature is in its second special session and so far no agreements have been reached on the operating and capital budgets nor on the comprehensive transportation funding package.
This special session is slated to end by June 30 but the more important deadline is July 1 – that’s when...
Posted on: 06/15/2015
Current-law transportation budget funds 520, tunnel, preservation
It’s not the $15 billion comprehensive transportation funding package that AGC is pushing for but the Legislature recently passed the 2015-1017 “current law” budget which will fund a few projects insert some money into preservation and maintenance and prevent a shutdown of existing projects once ...
Posted on: 06/01/2015
Concrete recycling, voc rehab, permits for bridges among bills signed into law
The Legislature might be in a special session to deal with the big budget issues but that hasn’t prevented a flurry of bills affecting the construction industry from being passed and signed into law. Below are some of them; contact AGC’s Chief Lobbyist Jerry VanderWood 360.352.5000 if you have qu...
Posted on: 05/04/2015
More from DOR on construction-related janitorial services and sales taxes
AGC has been working with the Department of Revenue regarding the application of sales tax rules for construction-related janitorial services. There is much confusion surrounding the issue because different rules apply to custom vs. speculative construction. The Department provided the informatio...
Posted on: 04/17/2015
Legislators take another crack at capital gains tax
Called a “real solid option” by Senate Democratic Leader Sharon Nelson (D-34) a capital-gains tax proposal is contained in two bills and was the subject of a hearing yesterday. AGC is opposing the measures and AGC members who intend to sell their business someday should take note as that is the s...
Posted on: 04/17/2015
Legislation gives school construction a boost
School construction will be getting a boost as the Legislature deals with initiative 1351 which passed last year and requires the state to reduce class sizes throughout the State.
Although both Republican leaders in the Senate and Democrat leaders in the House agree that the Legislature will mod...