On February 7, Ƶ filed comments to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) regarding proposed regulations to implement legislation passed in 2020 called the Corporate Transparency Act. The legislation would require legal entities with fewer than 20 employees and less than $5 million in gross revenue to submit “beneficial ownership information” to FinCEN. Beneficial owners are defined in the statute as anyone who owns at least 25 percent of a company, or exercises “substantial control” over its operations. Ƶ opposed the Corporate Transparency Act when it was considered in Congress due to the potential for the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information—and any associated identity theft and/or cybercrime—and the potential for the owners of construction firms to be fined and/or imprisoned for failing to furnish this information in a timely manner.
On February 10, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) introduced Ƶ-supported legislation to extend the employee retention tax credit (ERTC) through the end of 2021. The Senate bill mirrors Ƶ-supported legislation introduced in the House of Representatives last month by Reps. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) and Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.).
Oppose Administration’s Push to Restrict New Highway Capacity
Would Temporarily Eliminate the 18 Cents per Gallon Federal Gas Tax
Allows Congress More Time to Negotiate Full-Year Bill, Including Funding for New Infrastructure Programs
On February 7, the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment released its report on encouraging the federal government to promote the value of labor unions and making government contractors’ employees aware of their rights to join a labor union. Many of the nearly 70 findings in the report are similar to policy recommendations and actions already being undertaken by the Biden Administration, such as efforts to enforce misclassification of independent contractors, preferences for government-mandated project labor agreements, local hire requirements on federal construction projects, and more.
The recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) allows states or localities to implement a local hiring preference on federal-aid highway and transit projects. Such was already the case prior to passage of IIJA through a U.S. DOT pilot program. However, as part of that pilot program, the grant recipient was forced to certify that there was:
Ends Secret Ballot in Union Organizing elections (Card Check), Forced CBA Arbitration and More
TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress and the President to Oppose Government-Mandated PLAs