News

Governor Lee signs Construction Industry Payment Protection Act

On Monday, June 22nd. Governor Lee signed SB2681/HB2706 the Construction Industry Payment Protection Act. A summary of the bill is below.  Identification of the Problem The construction industry needed adequate payment protections. Statutes affecting the construction industry are intertwined and provided some protection but were inconsistent and insufficient. The risk of nonpayment was not borne by party best able to manage risk or fairly allocated. How Did We Resolve the Payment Dilemma? Made applicable statutes Internally consistent. Reduced applicability loopholes. Ensured acts have adequate timing, notice, and penalty provisions to protect industry. Summary of Changes Modified statutory language to reflect consistent definitions and terminology throughout lien laws, Truth in Construction Act, Prompt Pay Act, and construction defect statutes to maintain internal consistency. Tennessee Lien Laws – T.C.A ... Read the rest of entry »

Construction Industry Payment Protection Act Passes House, Moves to Governor Lee's Desk

At ABC Greater Tennessee, one of our main areas of focus is advocating for responsible legislation to protect our industry when payments are not made. Our industry has made positive changes to the laws of Tennessee as they relate to construction; however, many of these laws left some unintended contradictions, ambiguities, and loopholes that needed to be rectified.

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The PRO Act is an assault on worker freedom, choice and privacy | Opinion

Hardworking people from coast to coast have hit the new decade with the economic wind at their backs. In the construction industry, for example, there are more job opportunities than people to fill them, and construction unemployment in Tennessee stood at 3.1% last December. 

Wages are growing, and it’s never been easier to access low-cost education programs to launch a career in the field. Indeed, there are many reasons to be optimistic in 2020.

However, Last week, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives dealt a harsh blow to U.S. workers and Tennessee’s booming economy by passing a bill that would bypass America’s labor laws and give union bosses greater power to coerce employees to join unions in the face of a decades-long membership decline. 

Read more at The Tennessean...

ABC President Tennessean op-ed: Cones and cranes mean new jobs, healthy economy and opportunity

If you’ve spent any amount of time in downtown Nashville, chances are good that your path has crossed a busy construction site. While the noise, traffic and delays from these major jobs can be understandably frustrating, it’s important to remember what the cones and cranes that we see everyday symbolize—jobs, economic growth and a stronger Nashville.  This year, the greater Nashville area was ranked as the strongest metropolitan area economy in the U.S. in POLICOM’s annual community "economic strength" rankings. In a recent Engineering News-Record article, Tennessee State Data Center Director Tim Kuhn highlighted the recent population boom in Tennessee. “Nearly two-thirds of the state’s population increase is driven by residents moving from other states, including almost 40,000 people who moved to Tennessee from surrounding states in the past year,” said Kuhn. “Tennessee has a strong economy and a favorable climate. We ... Read the rest of entry »

ABC Celebrates Political Wins of 2019

Off the heels of the most exciting legislative session for the construction industry in years, ABC- Greater Tennessee was able to pass a majority of our legislative priorities for the year. Thank you to all of the ABC members for their help in marking this achievement. ABC Greater Tennessee is looking forward to many more successes in the years to come.  Below is an update on each piece of legislation that ABC - Greater Tennessee pushed in the Tennessee General Assembly in 2019.  SB324/HB 271  Payment Rights of contractors and subcontractors (Sen. Johnson/Rep. Gant) Prohibits a written contract to have a condition precedent for payment clause where the prime contractor is not required to pay the remote contractor due to contract or until they are paid by the construction owner. Declares that if payment is not received, work by contractor can be suspended until received. Makes other revisions relative to the payment rights of contractors and subcontractors. ABC Position: ... Read the rest of entry »

ABC Greater Tennessee endorses Janet Testerman for Knoxville City Council

The Greater Tennessee chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors has approved the recommendations for endorsement of Janet Testerman for Knoxville City Council. 

In the City Council, At Large Seat B, Ms. Testerman is set to face an opponent that will not recognize the open shop philosophy that keeps Tennessee growth moving forward. 

We look forward to the election and seeing Ms. Testerman prevail in this race. 

ABC Greater Tennessee Meet with Congressional Leaders in D.C.

ABC Greater Tennessee staff and Board of Directors had the pleasure of speaking with our Tennessee representatives in Washington, D.C. last week to push forward policies to re-enforce the Merit Shop Philosophy. 

Board members and staff met with Rep. Scott Desjarlais, Senator Marsha Blackburn, Senator Lamar Alexander, Rep. Tim Burchett, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann and Rep. Phil Roe. They also heard from Mercedes Schlapp, the White House Strategic Communications Director and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).

For pics, visit our flickr page. 

Message from the President on HB271

Dear ABC Members, As you may know, today we fully expect the House Commerce Committee to take up HB271, legislation that will significantly change procedure on construction contracts and allow for more work stoppages on Tennessee construction projects. ABC's position, at this time, remains that this bill needs to be moved to legislative summer study and rolled until next year so that ABC can foster input from West, East, and Middle Tennessee industry members. It is imperative that the entire state have input on this legislation. ABC has been working with other industry associations to foster a conversation on this legislation and allow for additional consideration from all interested parties across the state. This remains a top priority for our organization to bring the differing points of view on this legislation together and ensure that any legislation that is passed works for both general contractors and subcontractors. We have worked over the course of the last six weeks on this legislatio ... Read the rest of entry »