The Associated General Contractors of
America 333 John Carlyle Street Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314 (703) 548-3118 (703) 837-5404
fax
Jeffrey D. Shoaf Executive Director
Congressional Relations shoafj@agc.org 202/383-2762
Joan Huntley LaVor Director AGC PAC lavorj@agc.org 202/383-2761
Peter
Loughlin Director Construction Markets loughlip@agc.org 202/383-2766
Loren E. Sweatt Director Procurement and
Environment sweattl@agc.org 202/383-2760
Phil Thoden Director Tax & Fiscal
Affairs thodenp@agc.org 202/383-2764
Patrick
Wilson Director Human Resources & Labor wilsonp@agc.org 202/383-2763
|
National Poll
Indicates Overwhelming Support for Infrastructure
Investment
Frank Luntz, a well-known pollster, released the
results of a survey showing tremendous support for
infrastructure investment. The poll was conducted for the
Rebuild America Coalition and concluded that infrastructure is
a "quality of life" issue for voters. The survey found that
93% of Americans polled said the quality of infrastructure is
important to their local communities. 69% of those polled said
they are willing to pay 1% more per year in taxes for smooth
streets without potholes. Furthermore, 66% said they view
federal spending on infrastructure as a strong investment in
America’s future. AGC will host Luntz at the Legislative Forum
and Environmental Forums of the AGC Las Vegas Convention,
March 22-27, 1999.
Subcommittee to Move Paperwork
Legislation: The National Economic Growth, Natural
Resources, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee will mark up a
bill designed to streamline government paperwork. The Small
Business Paperwork Reduction Act Amendments of 1999, H.R. 391,
would suspend fines for small businesses with first-time
paperwork violations unless the violation caused serious harm,
was connected to a crime, violated the tax code, or was not
corrected within six months. In the case of a violation of
information collection that may cause imminent or substantial
harm, and at the discretion of an agency head, the violation
must be remedied within 24 hours to avoid penalties. This
legislation would also create a task force to study ways of
streamlining government paperwork.
Elimination of Death Tax is a Priority for Senate
Majority Leader Lott: Senate Majority Leader Trent
Lott (R-MS) this week cited elimination of the death tax as
among his legislative priorities for this year. Lott’s comment
came as part of his remarks on President Clinton’s proposal to
use 62% of the projected budget surplus over the next 15 years
(a total surplus of $4.4 billion in the estimation of the
Administration’s Office of Management and Budget) to shore up
Social Security. While Clinton proposes using the rest of the
surplus for additional spending, Lott stated that he would
like the remaining surplus to be returned to taxpayers.
Senator Bond to Introduce Independent Contractor
Bill: Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), Chairman of the Senate
Small Business Committee, intends to introduce legislation
giving business owners clear rules for determining independent
contractor status. The current IRS 20-point test is complex
and highly subjective, making it difficult for employers to
know whether or not they have correctly classified workers.
Independent contractors serve a vital function in the
construction industry by providing specialized skills to
businesses that utilize them. However, general contractors
that use independent contractors face severe penalties, left
largely to the discretion of the IRS, if they accidentally
misclassify employees as independent contractors. The Bond
bill is similar to legislation he sponsored in the 105th
Congress.
Lott Says Senate Will Pass Managed Care Reform
Bill:Trent Lott also addressed the managed care
reform issues this week, stating that the issue is "not going
to go away" and that "we should go ahead and face this and get
it done." Lott predicted that the Senate would possibly
consider health care legislation as early as May. He
emphasized, however, that the Senate would not pass any
legislation that allows patients to sue health plans for
delayed or denied service, a major component of the Democratic
Patients’ Bill of Rights. This provision is strongly opposed
by AGC.
Back
to Current Issue and Index | 1998
Issues | 1997
Issues |