Articles Posted in Construction Generally

Yesterday, Pillsbury attorney Julia Judish published her client advisory titled DOL Invites Comments on Requirement That Bidders Disclose Employment Law Violations. The Alert discusses President Obama’s Executive Order 13673, called the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Order; the Order uses the prospect of gaining or losing an edge in winning government contracts to provide a powerful incentive for employers to comply with a broad range of employment laws. On May 28, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) published a Proposed Guidance on implementation of the Order and invited the public to submit comments by July 27, 2015. Because aspects of the proposed guidance create compliance burdens for government contractors and could unfairly place some government contractors at a disadvantage in the procurement process, the contractor community would be prudent to submit comments that may lead to changes in the final guidance.

In late May, the California Department of Insurance (CDI) issued a press release announcing that it was involved in a multi-agency team that conducted a statewide outreach and enforcement effort targeting what it describes as a “thriving underground economy.” The enforcements teams included the Department of Industrial Relations, Contractors State License Board, CDI, Franchise Tax Board and Employment Development Department and several district attorney investigators.
Continue Reading ›

UPDATE: Cal/OSHA issued a high heat advisory today (June 16) advising employers to protect employees against the risks associated with heat illness. Temperatures are expected to be 15 to 25 degrees above normal in Southern California through Monday.

California’s Heat Illness Prevention Regulation was amended effective May 1, 2015. This regulation applies to all “outdoor places of employment” and to five enumerated industries: (1) agriculture, (2) construction, (3) landscaping, (4) oil and gas extraction, and (5) transportation or delivery of agricultural products, construction materials or other heavy materials (e.g. furniture, lumber, freight, cargo, cabinets, industrial or commercial materials), except for employment that consists of operating an air-conditioned vehicle and does not include loading or unloading. On May 14, 2015, the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and Cal/OSHA published a Guidance for Employers and Employees on the New Requirements (May 14, 2015), which is designed to provide guidance to employers and employees on how to implement the new requirements. On the same day, the DIR published a Heat Illness Prevention Enforcement Q&A . The new regulation requires, among other things, pre-shift meetings to review the high heat procedures, encourage employees to drink plenty of water and remind employees of their right to take a cool-down rest when necessary, the implementation of effective emergency response procedures, and the establishment, implementation and maintenance of a Heat Illness Prevention Plan.

Additional Source: Department of Industrial Relations, Heat Illness Prevention (English and Spanish)

Tennessee House Bill 24 was signed into law by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on May 20, enacting the Go Build Tennessee Act. The Act amend Title 4 and title 62, Chapter 6 of the Tennessee Code, and creates the “Go Build Tennessee Program”. The Program will be administered by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose duties will include “securing funding to promote and foster the development of a comprehensive statewide program designed to attract and increase career opportunities for secondary and postsecondary students in the construction industry.”

California Assembly Bill 428 (Nazarian) proposes to allow, for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2016, and before January 1, 2021, a tax credit in an amount equal to 30% of the qualified costs paid or incurred by a qualified taxpayer for seismic retrofit construction on a qualified building. The tax credit could be claimed at the rate of 1/5th of the credit amount for the taxable year in which the credit is allowed and 1/5th of the credit amount for each of the subsequent 4 taxable years (reduced by any grant provided by a public entity for the seismic retrofit construction); as applicable, an excess credit may be carried over to the reduce the net tax in the following taxable year. Prior to seismic retrofit construction, the taxpayer would be required to obtain certification from the appropriate jurisdiction with local building code enforcement authority that the building has been certified as an at-risk property. The taxpayer would also be required to obtain a certification that the seismic retrofit construction had been completed, and to provide both certifications to the Franchise Tax Board upon request. The bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Continue Reading ›

Recently, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed into law House Bill 46, new law that amends the provisions relating to unauthorized and excessive claims of preconstruction and construction liens. For those parties who agree to arbitrate claims for a residential project or for $50,000 or less, H.B. 46 amends Section 38-1a-308 of the Utah Code to add Subdivisions (b)(4) through (15), which create procedures to initiate, conduct, and appeal an arbitration proceeding to resolve a claim for an excessive notice of preconstruction or construction lien.
Continue Reading ›

Today, Pillsbury attorneys Mark Jones and Kathleen Bardunias, and summer associate Kevin Lin, published their client alert SEC Proposes Pay-for-Performance Disclosure Rules. The Advisory discusses the SEC’s recently proposed rule under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that would require public companies to disclose the relationship between the compensation actually paid to certain key executives and the financial performance of the company, as measured by total shareholder return. If the proposed rule is finalized during 2015, affected companies may be required to make the “pay-for-performance” disclosures as early as the 2016 proxy season.

Recently, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed into law Senate Bill 891, new law effective July 1, 2015. S.B. 891 adds Section 11-4.1:1 to the Virginia Code and amends Subdivision (C) of Section 43-3 of the Virginia Code to prohibit the waiver of payment bond claims or contract claims, and the waiver of the right to file or enforce any mechanics’ lien by subcontractors, lower-tier subcontractors and material suppliers in construction contracts.
Continue Reading ›