We have all read about the consequences of the recent government shutdown,  including postal services ,  the housing market , and even OSHA investigations.  Thanks to my partner, Mark Leach, for sharing an example of how the shutdown has affected the transportation and road building industry.

Last year, the Department of Transportation issued a notice of proposed rulemaking for changes to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)  regulations. Based on the number of comments received, the proposed changes were revised to be classified as “significant,” which required a cost-benefit analysis. A public “listening session” was scheduled for October 9, 2013 to take comments to inform the cost-benefit analysis, with the time for submitting comments extended to October 30, 2013. However, because of the shutdown, the listening session did not take place.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) recently asked for an extension for public comment because the listening session was expected to be rescheduled. 

It was just announced that the listening session will be rescheduled at a later date not yet specified. In the meantime, the AGC and ARTBA are asking its members to complete an on-line survey to gather information on how the proposed changes may impact contractors. The link to the survey is here

The survey will be open until the end of this week, November 1, 2013.

Image: Marina Noordegraaf