The U.S. Department of Labor’s massive final rule “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations” takes effect on all new contracts awarded on and after October 23, with limited exceptions.

Contractors currently bidding contracts covered under Davis Bacon should consider changes to existing requirements as well as new ones.

To help AGC members understand the rulemaking, please find the following AGC resources below:

Construction Employment Reaches 7,993,000 amid Strong Demand for Project, Firms Boost Pay to $34.40 an Hour as They Try to Attract a Limited Pool of Qualified Workers with Sector’s Unemployment at 3.9%

Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas, Yuba City, Calif., and Corvallis, Ore. Lead the Nation in Employment Increases; Miami, Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. and Kankakee, Ill. Have the Largest Number and Percent of Job Losses

Texas and Arkansas Top Lists of Year-over-Year Gains, While Colorado, North Dakota Record the Worst Losses; Texas and Nebraska Lead in Monthly Job Increases, While Washington and Maine Experience Largest Declines

Construction Material Prices Remain Mostly Flat in the Month of July; Buy America Rules Remain an Ongoing Challenge for Firms as They Try to Find Materials that Comply

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council is publishing a proposed rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a requirement for agencies to procure sustainable products and services to the maximum extent practicable including for construction contracts.

The Biden Administration has proposed new changes to a suite of rules that would significantly affect the applicability and implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  The proposed revisions reverse reforms made by the prior administration to regulations governing the listing and delisting of species and plants, the designation of critical habitat and the interagency consultations that are part of the approval process for projects that involve federal permits or funding.

Construction Employment Reaches 7,791,000 in July as Data Shows Firms Can’t Find Enough Workers to Replace Retiring Workers, Association Officials Call for New Investments in Construction Education

On July 13, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued a proposal to update its existing standards to better protect miners against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, and to improve respiratory protection for all airborne hazards. MSHA’s proposal would cut the current permissible exposure limit (PEL) of respirable crystalline silica by half to 50 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m3).

Construction employment increased in 45 states in June from a year earlier, while 33 states added construction jobs from May to June, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials said the job gains were welcome, but that widespread construction labor shortages mean many firms would likely have hired even more workers if they could find qualified candidates.