After a year of fits and starts, Congress finally seems to have begun moving the legislative ball forward. As I write this, the tax reform package is headed to the president’s desk. This bill, which represents the first true legislative achievement of the Trump era, is likely to contribute to a significant increase in U.S. economic growth during 2018, and contains many construction industry policy priorities advocated by ACPA as part of the North American Concrete Alliance, including expanded equipment expensing and the continuation of private activity bonds to support major capital projects.
The Atlantic hurricane season is back with a deadly vengeance. After 11 years of relative calm, two back-to-back Category 4 storms have inflicted significant damage on two of America’s largest metropolitan areas.
While Florida and the Houston area are continuing to recover, there is a lot to be thankful for. While the numbers have not yet been finalized as of this writing, the combined U.S. death toll for Harvey and Irma are likely to remain well below the 1,833 deaths caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Yes, the nature of the storms themselves is different and direct comparisons are risky, but there is no doubt that better planning this time around saved lives.
According to conventional political wisdom in Washington, major legislation has to be passed by Congress and signed by the President in an odd-numbered year, before the campaign-driven politics of even-numbered years shuts down the congressional sausage grinder. The most recent notable exception—the Affordable Care Act, which was signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010—essentially proves the rule. Democrats lost their majorities in the U.S. House and Senate the following November, and the public backlash over Obamacare played a significant role in the electoral debacle.
As you will have read elsewhere in this edition, we recently won our effort to change DOT Hours of Service regulations to provide relief for the concrete pumping industry. This result is a direct outcome of a comprehensive review of HOS regulations initiated by ACPA in 2015. I am extremely pleased with DOT’s decision and see it as a first step in a longer- term push for regulatory relief for the concrete pumping industry.
The provision is valid for two years, and DOT may extend it for a third year by request. However, Congress must enact legislation to make the exemption permanent. ACPA has identified other areas where changes to DOT regulations could provide significant regulatory relief for the industry.
ACPA's recent advocacy efforts led to a major victory with hours-of-service regulations. Now, concrete pump operators may count on-duty time toward the required 30-minute rest break in hours-of-service regulations for interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers. On March 21, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its acceptance of the ACPA's request for an exemption to the 30-minute rest break.
Whether or not you voted for Donald Trump, it is hard to dismiss the sense of optimism about breaking the gridlock in Washington. For the last six years, the Obama administration and the GOP Congress engaged in the political equivalent of trench warfare, each staking out immovable positions on most major issues, leaving very little room for legislative maneuvering other than for “must pass” legislation—for example, preventing government shutdowns, etc.
