• AGC Advocacy Report

  • Michael Gifford, AGC Advocacy Director
    October 25, 2024

     

     

  • State

    AGC 2024 Ballot Guide - Nov 5, 2024 General Election
    AGC has developed a 2024 Ballot Guide to help members (and their employees) know what votes will benefit the construction industry. Remember that employers cannot give their personal opinions to employees on who or what to vote for – but they can tell employees here is what AGC thinks will be a good vote for the construction industry. 
     
    The general election is upon us! (Have you noticed all the ads?). The politics that affects our businesses and lives the most on a day-to-day basis is state & local politics. Ballots are now mailed out to all registered voters (including your employees) as of Oct 18. Voters are encouraged to drop off ballots at designated drop off sites, drop-boxes, or mail their ballots in time to be received by the county clerk before the polls close. Postmarks do not count; ballots must be in the hands of the county clerk by 7:00 PM on Election Day to be counted. For more voting info visit AGC's Construction Votes website.
     
    Key Election & Voting Dates
    • Oct. 11-18: Ballots mailed
    • Oct. 21: Polling centers open for in-person voting daily through Nov. 5
    • Oct. 28: Last day to mail in your ballot
    • Nov. 5: Election Day and the last day to vote in person or through drop boxes
    • Nov. 13: Deadline to cure problems with ballots 
    AGC Supports State Legislative Candidates Through AGC Colorado PAC
    AGC Colorado members have contributed $60,000 of corporate donations to the AGC Colorado PAC in the 2023-24 cycle and our AGC PAC has then made contributions to state legislative candidates in the Nov 5, 2025 election. Those candidates are listed in the AGC 2024 Ballot Guide. Currently the State Senate is 23D – 12R which is one short of a veto-proof majority. The House is 46D and 19R which means that the House already has a veto-proof majority. The main concerns with a veto-proof majority in both chambers is the legislature’s ability to refer more one-sided measures to the ballot, and the ability to override a Governor veto of a bad bill. AGC has traditionally experienced better state legislative outcomes when power at the legislature is shared. Therefore, AGC has made a major investment from the AGC CO PAC in a State Senate Republican fund to try to keep at least the current 23-12 margin in the Senate and shared power at the state legislature.
     
    AGC Weighs in on Bad for Construction RTD Rail Partners v Wadsworth Appellate Court Decision
    AGC recently learned of an appellate court decision (Regional Rail Partners v Wadsworth) where the court ruled that a verified statement of claim (VSC) was thrown out in total because it was found to have inaccurate estimates and projections. The court used reasoning from VSC and Mechanics Lien cases in California that has no rational bearing to 100+ year settled case law in CO. After review by the AGC legislative committee and Board of Directors, AGC has teamed up with the Colorado Contractors Association (CCA) and Independent Electrical Contractors Rocky Mountain (IECRM) to ask the Supreme Court to review the case – because the reasoning in the current court decision will have (and is already having) detrimental effects on the construction industry, and will no longer protect contractors through the VSC and mechanics lien statutes.
     
     
    If the Supreme Court takes up the case (it could take several months for the Supreme Court to decide to take up the case), AGC, CCA and IECRM will then turn in a full brief to defend the industry. AGC/CCA/IEC brief.
    AGC Colorado Featured at National 2024 Construction HR & Workforce Conference
    AGC President & CEO Jeff Barratt introduced CO’s Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT ) Director Eve Lieberman who presented on workforce and economic development and featured AGC Colorado’s Project SCALE (Scaling Construction Access for L/Earners) at AGC America’s 2024 Construction HR & Workforce Conference on Oct 20-22 at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. 400 construction professionals attended the event.
     
    AGC Meets with Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) to Move Downtown Forward
    AGC Advocacy Director Michael Gifford is a member of the DDP Public Policy Committee, and he met this week with the committee to work on important downtown Denver issues including the campaign to approve the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) vote on Nov 5 to approve the new boundary & $570M bond issue. The committee also reviewed progress on the 16th Street Mall re-construction, downtown office, retail and restaurant leasing activity, and provided input to Denver on pending changes to the Energize Denver ordinance.
     
    AGC Meets with Metro Denver Economic Development Corp (MDEDC) to Move Economy Forward
    AGC is a member of the MDEDC Executive Committee and AGC Advocacy Director Michael Gifford met with the committee this week to work on a number of economic development and business recruitment initiatives. One major recent win is the $600M, 750,000 sf Phillip Morris manufacturing facility under construction on 150 acres near Denver International Airport. More wins will be announced shortly by MDEDC.
     
    AGC Meets with Adams County Regional Economic Partnership (AC-REP) to Move Adams County Economy Forward
    AGC is a board and executive committee member of AC-REP and AGC Advocacy Director Michael Gifford met with the Executive Committee and Board this week to work on business recruitment and infrastructure plans.
     
    Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors Increased to $17.75 Per Hour for 2025
    The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that the $15-an-hour minimum wage for federal contractors under Executive Order (EO) 14026 will increase to $17.75 for 2025 because of inflation. 
     
    AGC Bill Tracker
    For a complete list of AGC bill positions for the 2024 legislative session see our handy dandy AGC Bill Tracker. For questions, contact Michael Gifford at mgifford@agccolorado.org.

  • Federal

    Do You Have Experience with Contracts Preference Programs?
    Share your experience by taking this quick AGC survey which will close on November 11th, 2024. - Read more
     
    More AGC Members Participate in Tax Roundtables
    Tax-writing committee members hear about the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on construction. - Read more
     
    Policy Deep Dive: Preventing a Massive Tax Increase on Construction
    The first in a series of in-depth discussions about AGC’s tax priorities for 2025. - Read more
     
    2024 Election Results: What Construction Companies Should Expect to See Come Out of Washington
    Join AGC for a must-attend webinar that explores the impact of the November election results and what they signal for the future of the construction industry. - Read more
     
    Discover the Nation's Leading Construction Event in April
    Join us for AGC's 2025 Annual Convention in Columbus, Ohio, April 8-10. - Read more