Contractors performing work in Austin should be aware that the City of Austin (“City”) has recently approved an ordinance authorizing civil enforcement measures for worksites that fail to meet specific safety standards designed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Austin’s contractor community has been proactive in taking steps to make jobsites safe for their employees. In many cases, contractors have [...] Read More

The Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act was approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on June 18, 2020 and is making its way up to Congress. The bill will create millions of jobs and provide substantial investment in the nation’s deteriorating highways, bridges and public transit systems. [...] Read More

Contractors doing business with the Federal Government, particularly with the Department of Defense (“DoD”), commonly handle sensitive information that is not intended to be disseminated. Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”) is one such type and is more specifically defined as “information that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls pursuant to and consistent with laws, regulations and government-wide policies.”1 Because some DoD contracts require [...] Read More

On June 3, 2020, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”) published and implemented revised regulations pertaining to the debarment of contractors.  The revised regulations address many of the deep concerns raised by the contracting community. Under relevant administrative procedure, the MTA publication of the revised regulations starts a 45 day notice period before the regulations can be adopted as final. The [...] Read More

Melinda ("Mindy") S. Gentile, Peckar & Abramson's Diversity and Inclusion Chair, authored "Building Bridges: The Realities and Implications of Diversity and Inclusion in Construction Law" for Best Lawyers Magazine's Spring 2020 edition. Mindy discusses the current state of the challenges and opportunities facing the growing pool of diverse construction attorneys. Read More