Flashings

Economic bill omits small-business provision

President Bush signed an economic-stimulus package intended to boost the economy and encourage its recovery. The bill's final version includes measures such as increased unemployment benefits and additional tax cuts for businesses but omitted a small-business expensing provision.

"We're seeing some encouraging signs in the economy, but we can't stand by and simply hope for continued recovery," President Bush says. "We are acting to help workers. We're acting to create jobs, and we're acting to strengthen our economy."

The small-business provision that was included in previous drafts of the bill would have raised the amount a small business can write off for capital investments from $24,000 to $40,000. It was estimated the provision would cost $219 million over 11 years. The cut was unexpected because the provision had little opposition.

Small-business advocates hope the provision will be included in minimum-wage legislation, which is expected to be introduced this year.

House passes bill about illegal immigrants

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill with a 275-137 vote to help illegal immigrants gain residency. The bill will allow illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while filing their immigration paperwork.

Previously, immigrants were forced to return to their countries of origin to file for legal immigrant status—a process that could take several years.

To be eligible according to the measure, immigrants must be sponsored by an employer or immediate family member in the United States and prove the relationship existed before Aug. 15, 2001. In addition, immigrants must pay a $1,000 fine and filing costs.

Proponents of the bill say the legislation's rules and deadlines are too restrictive and will prohibit many immigrants from eligibility. Critics claim the bill is a political token that may risk national security.

The bill, which has strong support from the Bush administration, now moves to the Senate. If approved by the Senate, the bill will help thousands of Mexicans gain residency. The bill's supporters hope the Senate approves the measure quickly as a gesture of goodwill toward Mexico.

In other news, the Supreme Court ruled illegal immigrants wrongly fired from jobs in the United States are not entitled to back pay. The 5-4 vote was made in the case Hoffman Plastic Compounds v. National Labor Relations Board.

The National Labor Relations Board was representing José Castro, an illegal immigrant who believed he was owed $67,000 after he was laid off by Hoffman Plastic Compounds in 1989 for supporting efforts to unionize the company.

Although the court said Hoffman Plastic Compounds violated labor laws, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote in the court's opinion, "Awarding back pay to illegal aliens runs counter to policies underlying federal immigration laws."

Muzaffar Chishti, senior policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C., told The Wall Street Journal the ruling will make hiring illegal immigrants more popular. Chishti believes the ruling will lead employers to test the limits of other immigration laws.

AGC of America and ASC partner

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America and the Associated Specialty Contractors (ASC) officially partnered to achieve excellence in the construction industry.

AGC of America and ASC have worked together during the past several years on various industry issues, including risk allocation, payment issues, safety, contract language and contractor relations.

According to the organizations' partnership agreement, their mission is to provide the construction industry with best practices and procedures.

"Our partnering agreement with ASC marks an important milestone for the construction industry," says Robert Desjardins, AGC of America's president. "General contractors and specialty contractors and their associations are working together to find solutions that improve the construction process for everyone involved, specifically construction owners."

"This agreement was the result of our excellent working relationship with AGC of America and the need for our organizations to demonstrate leadership in balancing stakeholders' interests and fairly allocating risks for the good of the industry," says Richard Grund, ASC's chairman.