The construction industry is full of valuable business information including customer lists, pricing information, project budgets, and more. The value of such information may be lost if it becomes known to a competitor or the public at large. That is why it is important to take steps to protect confidential information from disclosure. Such steps
On November 8, 2022, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a memorandum that provides details on a pilot program that allows government contractors owned 100% by an S-corporation employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) to receive a noncompetitive award for certain follow-on contracts. According to the memorandum, the program is limited to only nine “entities,” and
As part of the first “comprehensive regulatory review” in nearly 40 years, the Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed to amend, update, and “modernize” the regulations at 29 CFR parts 1, 3, and 5, which implement the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) and the Davis-Bacon Related Acts (collectively, the DBRA). The background on and an overview of
On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6256, known as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The act is intended to stem the importation of goods made with forced labor from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China (the “Xinjiang Region”) into the United States. The act
Even as the construction industry continues its recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it also continues to focus on worker safety. Consistent with this focus, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) scheduled the eighth annual “National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction” event for May 3-7, 2021.
President Biden recently signed an executive order (EO) that will increase the minimum wage rate to be paid to workers performing work on or in connection with a federal contract from $10.95 per hour to $15.00 per hour beginning January 30, 2022.
The EO states that federal executive departments and agencies shall, to the extent
You’ve been to the webinars about COVID-19. You’ve read the trade publication tips. You’ve implemented measures to protect your workers. You’re ahead of the game, right? Well, you’re certainly ahead of the sheriff who reportedly instructed his employees not to wear masks in the office. If a visitor enters Sheriff Billy Wood’s office with a
President Trump recently signed an Executive Order focused on a government-wide review of federal contractors’ hiring and staffing practices, specifically taking aim at the H-1B visa program. The Executive Order states that “[i]t is the policy of the executive branch to create opportunities for United States workers to compete for jobs, including jobs created through
On June 5, 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was amended by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (PPPFA). PPPFA gives borrowers relief from some of the original terms of the PPP loans (as well as terms imposed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through Interim Final Rules and other guidance) by
Under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), borrowers can seek loan forgiveness of the full principal amount of loans as early as eight weeks after disbursement of the loan proceeds. On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued its Interim Final Rule regarding the loan forgiveness application process in advance of anticipated loan