Hannah Fullmer

On March 18, the Senate approved a House-passed coronavirus relief package bill that includes provisions for free testing for COVID-19 and paid emergency leave. President Trump signed the bill into law that evening. The economic relief bill marks the second aid package passed in a matter of weeks.

According to Dodge Data & Analytics chief economist, Richard Branch, the construction industry market research and forecasting firm expects the novel coronavirus to have less of an impact on the economy than first anticipated, while also reporting “a growing realization that the U.S. economy is in recession.” Please note—Branch warns these forecasts have a large margin of error as the full extent of the pandemic has yet to be felt (as of the date of publication of this issue on March 27,...

On March 11, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a final rule establishing a system for developing Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) in all sectors except construction. The DOL says the programs must include a paid-work component (which offers at least the minimum wage), an educational component, on-the-job training/structured work experience, mentorship and result in an industry-recognized credential, among other requirements.