Public and private contractors take note of new law in Nevada that limits retainage for both public and private works contracts to five percent. Previously, for public works contracts, a public body undertaking a public work was permitted to withhold as a retainage at least five percent from progress payments made to a contractor…
In New Legislation Threatens to Further Erode Market Share of Non-Trade Union Contractors in California, Pillsbury attorneys Chris Rodriguez, Rob James, John Heisse, Andrew Bluth, and Marissa O’Connor discuss two new laws that go into effect in January 2016 that are expected to change the face of various public and…
Developers subject to the Federal Power Act (FPA) should carefully consider the implications of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s recent opinion on the scope of the “municipal preference” under Section 7(a) of the FPA. The Court, in Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, et al., v. FERC,…
The “Conflicts Minerals” rule was enacted, with very little debate, as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This rule places new regulatory requirements on the nation’s financial system in the wake of the 2008 economic emergency. To many observers, the most troublesome aspect of the…
Early this year, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed a bill requiring assessors and contractors in the mold remediation industry to be licensed and their workers properly trained, effective January 1, 2016. The bill was amended later in the year, but the date it goes into effect remains the same. The new…
Just in time for the holidays, the Nevada State Contractors Board has issued an Industry Bulletin confirming that, beginning this week, it will begin issuing a one-time refund check to eligible licensed contractors as of June 30, 2015. It will disburse approximately $2.6 million in excess funds to nearly 15,000…
UPDATE: The California Contractors State License Board has confirmed that all currently licensed contractors contractor’s bonds must be increased to $15,000 by January 1, 2016. Contractors Urged to Make Sure They Increase Bond Coverage to $15,000 Before End of Year; Applies to All Licensees, Industry Bulletin 15-14. A California contractor’s bond is…
Contractors employing workers that perform work outside have long known the importance of addressing outdoor heat hazards in their Injury and Illness Prevention Programs (IIPP). A recent ruling by the California Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH or Cal/OSHA) Appeals Board should serve as a reminder that, at least in California,…
For contractors, keeping track of the various provisions and requirements of federal statutes such as the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) while also jumping through the many hoops of local permitting can be quite an achievement in and of itself. But as a recent case shows us, the “litigative shield”…
Recently, the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District, in Womack v. Lovell, et al., Case No. G409587 (June 5, 2015), reversed a judgment in favor of the homeowner, noting that “[t]he devil isn’t the only resident in the details; sometimes truth and fairness lodge there as well.” The Court…