In a 220-211 vote, the House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, officially known as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and presented the legislation to President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
The package contains plenty of provisions that will benefit the country in general, such as $1,400 stimulus checks to qualifying individuals, but there are also some that should help out the construction economy.
For instance, the Senate s version of the bill added in $10 billion for a Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, that will pay for state, tribal government and territorial projects that carry out critical capital projects directly enabling work, education and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Each state is slated to receive $100 million out of this new projects fund, which they can use for construction and other projects.
Release of Biden s infrastructure plan details delayed constructiondive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from constructiondive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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On Thursday, Democratic lawmakers reintroduced the PRO Act, the sweeping labor rights bill that was passed by the House of Representatives last year. Construction groups representing workers, unions and employers alike say they are watching intently to see how the bill, or parts of it, would affect the industry if it becomes law.
By redefining “employees” and “employers” in revisions to the National Labor Relations Act, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act grants benefits to workers previously classified as independent contractors. Additionally, the way in which unions and employers collectively bargain and agree could be altered in states where unions have little to no say in the employee-employer relationship.
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MERICAN TAXPAYERS’ dollars should be spent on American goods made by American workers and with American-made parts. So says President Joe Biden, newly installed in the White House. On January 25th he signed an executive order meant to pull more of the $600bn of annual federal-procurement spending into American hands. The order was protectionist in spirit: more home-made components means fewer foreign ones. But America’s international commitments also mean that Mr Biden’s measures may not have much effect.
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America’s efforts to restrict access to procurement go back nearly 100 years. In 1933 Herbert Hoover signed the Buy American Act (
Building block - President Joe Biden signs an executive order to Buy American | Finance & economics economist.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from economist.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.