Federal Policy Roundup: What Matters Now

Last month’s highlights on legislative, legal, and regulatory developments affecting merit shop contractors, workforce policy, and ABC’s ongoing federal-level advocacy, were as follows:

Bid Protest Victory on PLA Mandates

• U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled in favor of an ABC member, removing a PLA mandate from a federal construction solicitation valued over $35 million.
• The ruling reinforces prior decisions recognizing PLAs as costly, anticompetitive, and harmful to contractors and taxpayers.
• While not nationwide, the decision is expected to apply to 15 additional consolidated bid protests.

NLRB and Department of Labor Nominations

• The U.S. Senate confirmed 97 nominees in an en bloc vote following procedural rule changes.
• ABC-supported nominees National Labor Relations Board confirmed: James Murphy, Scott Mayer, and Crystal Carey.
• NLRB regains quorum with a 2–1 Republican majority; ABC will pursue confirmation of a third pro-merit shop board member.
• Multiple Department of Labor nominees were also confirmed, strengthening leadership across workforce and enforcement agencies.

Permitting Reform Legislative Tracker

• H.R. 3898 – PERMIT Act: Passed House; improves Clean Water Act permitting transparency. ABC Key Vote: Yes.
• H.R. 4776 – SPEED Act: Passed House; clarifies NEPA procedures to provide regulatory certainty. ABC Key Vote: Yes.
• H.R. 4503 – ePermit Act: Passed by voice vote; mandates NEPA impact reporting to Congress. ABC Supported.
• H.R. 573 – Studying NEPA’s Impact Act: Passed by voice vote; modernizes environmental review processes. ABC Supported.
• H.R. 1897 – ESA Amendments Act: Advanced from committee; streamlines Endangered Species Act permitting. ABC Supported.

Water Resources Development Act Hearing

• House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee held a WRDA 2026 hearing on stakeholder priorities.
• ABC urged lawmakers to advance a neutral WRDA bill allowing all contractors to compete, regardless of labor affiliation.