Scott Braddock's blog

The campaign promises of President Donald J. Trump to construct a physical barrier along the international boundary with Mexico – yes, a border wall – are now turning into actual requests for proposals by the federal government from businesses interested in making the project a reality.

But there are still many questions about how this will actually happen, including whether Mexico will pay a single penny to help with construction. Mexico maintains that it will not and President Trump is already proposing that US taxpayers at least pay for it initially while holding out some hope that there will be reimbursement from Mexico down the line.    [node:read-more:link]

Now that it’s been given the green light by the the Austin City Council, a new program will launch in the coming weeks to expedite permitting for construction projects including "living wages" for large commercial projects.

The Austin Business Journal described the program this way:

After paying the additional fees, residential, mixed-use and small commercial projects can join the expedited permitting program with no extra hurdles. However major commercial projects — at least 75,000 square feet or $7.5 million in value, with no residential uses — must submit to oversight by a third party, such as the Workers Defense Project through its Better Builder Program.    [node:read-more:link]

Following a recent report that some immigrants have avoided construction jobsites out of fear that they’ll be deported, the AGC in Austin decided to conduct a survey aimed at determining whether recent immigration enforcement actions by the Trump Administration have had a real impact on the workforce.

Here are some major takeaways from the survey:

76% of local commercial construction industry having hard time finding hourly craft workers, according to the survey. This is almost identical to the statewide results of 74% reported in an AGC of America survey last year.

40% responded that they’ve been having trouble for years finding workers, regardless of the recent government policy changes regarding illegal immigration. Only 19% responded that the recent changes are having SOME or a MAJOR impact on their work. 17% say it’s too early to tell. 28% say that the often-cited statistic that “50% of construction workers in Texas are undocumented” is either too low or about right. 22% say it depends on type of work and trades involved. 21% said they don’t know.   [node:read-more:link]

The potential use of eminent domain authority is at the heart of a controversy over a proposed bullet train that would connect Dallas and Houston.

During this legislative session in Austin, which is held for the first five months of the year, Texas Central Railway is hoping lawmakers do not do anything to prevent its $12 billion project from moving forward. The project would use Japanese technology allowing riders to make their way from Houston to Dallas in just about 90 minutes - a trip that typically takes 4 hours or more by car or truck.

Rural Republican lawmakers are asserting themselves, arguing the project could end up being costly to taxpayers and the company might use eminent domain to condemn land for construction.   [node:read-more:link]

The construction industry in Texas is a great career option for many people who may have never previously considered it. That’s the message behind a new campaign called “Texas Builds” that was recently launched by the Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Texas.

“Nearly 700,000 men and women work in construction throughout Texas. Construction workers in the state earn 10 percent more than the average worker in the state, and bring home an average salary of over $60,000 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,” the AGC said. “And since most construction jobs do not require college degrees, many of those workers do not have college debts to worry about,” the group said.    [node:read-more:link]