The 2019 session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 8, 2019. The session concluded on a sad note with the passing of longtime Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch. Following the November elections, 17 new Senators and 43 new Delegates took their seats at the beginning of the session in January which changed the composition of many …
Celebrating Women in Construction Week, ABC of Metro Washington’s Women Building Washington Committee hosted the 2nd Annual SHEbuilds event in partnership with Rebuilding Together. Raising more than $20,000 for the project, 40 women gathered in Takoma Park, MD, to help a woman in need with plumbing, painting, repairs and landscaping. Women are an essential part of the construction industry. They …
A degree in science, technology, engineering or math can be valuable for virtually any industry. Colleges are realizing they need to provide the resources for today’s students to become tomorrow’s workers. To attract students interested in these fields, Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland invested in a new Science, Engineering, and Technology Building, which opened in the summer of 2017. …
Department of Labor Proposes New Overtime Rules The U.S. Department of Labor proposed new overtime rules on March 14 that would raise the threshold salary level for “white collar” exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The exemptions would increase from $23,660 a year ($455/week) to $35,308 a year ($679/week). The National Law Review reports the DOL also proposes to …
Last week, a college admissions scandal involving well-to-do families and elite colleges shocked and outraged the nation. But there’s an equally outrageous academic story that doesn’t get enough attention, and it’s been going on for years, too: The dismantling of trade programs at the high school level. When our children are young, we always tell them, you can be whatever …
The good intentions of Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Program, HB 341, may be overshadowed by the long-term negative impact it would have not just on the construction industry, but also the small business community and Maryland’s economic bottom line. The legislation would provide up to 12 weeks of benefits to an employee who is taking partially paid or …
Deloitte’s 2019 engineering and construction industry outlook After growing at a rate of five percent in 2018, growth in the construction industry is expected to accelerate further during 2019, according to Deloitte’s 2019 Engineering and Construction Industry Outlook. Mergers and acquisitions–which accounted for more than 340 deals worth $20 billion in 2018–will continue to play a lead role in boosting growth. …
To say that Maryland Route 404 (MD 404) was in serious need of expansion is an understatement. During the summer months, daily vehicular traffic swells more than 25 percent, going from 18,000 vehicles to 23,000 vehicles using the Shore Highway to travel to and from the Delmarva Region. And that’s not all. Vehicle collision rates along MD 404 were also …
Name: Jerry Clark Company: Owner, LD Marine Services Trade: Marine Mechanical Contractor – HVAC/R and RO (reverse osmosis) Desalinization After working in a variety of marine-related fields, Jerry Clark founded his own marine mechanical contracting firm in 2008. Here’s how he made the leap and what inspires him. Why and how did you get into the construction trade? An old …
How a Government Shutdown Affects Small Contractors With another federal government shutdown looming, construction contractors are bracing for more uncertainty. Small contractors, in particular, can be the most vulnerable to outside influences, wrote Vic Lance in Construction Executive during the recent 35-day federal government shutdown. Here are some of the concerns contractors may face again: Construction companies working for government …