Associated Builders and Contractors

12-12:15 p.m. Opening Remarks 12:15-12:45 p.m. End-of-Year Update: Legal and Regulatory Developments Affecting Merit Shop Contractors ABC’s general counsel will provide an overview of recent significant legal decisions affecting merit shop contractors, as well as the status of ongoing legal challenges against administration regulations.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1—National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.7% in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.309 trillion. Spending was up on a monthly basis in 11 of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending was up 1.0%, while public nonresidential construction spending was up 0.2% in August.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30—Associated Builders and Contractors today applauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Keith Sonderling to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor by a vote of 47-41. “ABC congratulates Secretary Sonderling on his well-deserved confirmation and commends the Senate for recognizing his strong record of leadership and commitment to America’s workers and job creators,” said Kristen Swearingen, ABC vice president of government affairs.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30—Ahead of Careers in Construction Month, Associated Builders and Contractors highlighted new research showing that multiskilled construction crews can reduce completion time by about 30% and increase production by 37% to 50% on construction scopes where multiple trades must work in tight sequence.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29—The construction industry had 251,000 job openings on the last day of August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 48,000 last month but are up by 38,000 from the same time last year.

Election Day is just six weeks away, and pressure is mounting on Republicans as they seek to maintain their control of Congress. Republicans are on defense in their attempt to hold onto their narrow majorities in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Over the past few weeks, the political landscape has expanded to encompass additional battleground states, including some historically red seats in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.

AI Simplified: What Every Contractor Can Build Today Date: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 Time: 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT) and 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) Length: 60 minutes Speaker: Renata Pinheiro, Founder, The Alignment Lab Webinar Description Artificial intelligence is everywhere in construction right now—in keynotes, vendor demos and every trade publication. But for most contractors, the gap is understanding how to start.

Shortly before the Sept. 21 comment deadline was set to close, in response to requests from ABC, other industry groups and small businesses, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it was extending the deadline to submit comments on its proposed rulemaking regarding small business size standards until Nov. 20, 2026. On Sept.

Cybersecurity Litigation Trends and Their Impact on Retirement Plan Sponsors Date: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026 Time: 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) Length: 60 minutes Speaker: Jordan D. Mamorsky, Attorney, Wagner Law Group Moderator: Larry E. Crocker, Independent Fiduciary & Compliance Consultant, Fiduciary Consulting Group Inc. Webinar Description Sign up for a review of trends in cybersecurity challenges and litigation for employers that sponsor a retirement plan.

On Sept. 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor announced policy efforts across 10 department agencies to support American workers and job creators. Learn more about the initiatives: Employment and Training Administration Released Training and Employment Notice No. 05-26: Framework for Effective Pre-Apprenticeships, which establishes a five-component framework for effective pre-apprenticeships.