News

In a positive sign for Concord’s clients in the architecture industry. The American Institute of Architects’ monthly Architecture Billings Index for September shows an upswing after a slight decline in August. The index has been positive in six of nine months this year.

With the expiration of Section 179D approaching at the end of 2013, Andrew Goldberg, the managing director of government relations and outreach for the American Institute of Architects, argues in the latest edition of the AIA’s journal that Congress should extend the provision.

At a press conference at 10:45 AM on Sept 22, 2015 Senate Democrats led by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (N-NV), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) unveiled a comprehensive energy bill, including measures reforming energy tax incentives.

After several strong months, the Architectural Billings Index slipped slightly in August — it read 49.1, down from a mark of 54.7 in July.

Kevin Brady (R-TX), the second most senior member of the powerful Ways and Mean Committee, writes a forceful post on the committee website that urges Congress to make the tax provisions known as “tax extenders” a permanent part of the tax code.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told Politico that he will back a “clean” funding bill that will fund the government through December.

Concord joins more than 2,000 other companies to sign a letter to members of Congress, urging them to pass legislation extending or making permanent the set of tax incentives known as “tax extenders.”

Construction employment totaled 6,388,000 in August, the most since February 2009, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

The National Association of Manufacturers is currently circulating a letter for individual companies to sign on to urging Congress to immediately extend the expired and expiring tax provisions, similar to the tax extenders letter the Coalition sent to Congress in 2014. The Coalition sign-on letter will be open to companies, coalitions, associations and non-profit groups (including state/local/regional groups) to sign. The final letter will be sent to Congress the week of September 7th.