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Infrastructure Proposal Expected Monday
The long-awaited infrastructure proposal – first mentioned by President Trump during his election campaign – is expected to be unveiled on Feb. 12. Originally calling for $1 trillion in infrastructure investments, President Trump upped the ante during his Jan. 30 State of the Union address, increasing the target to $1.5 trillion. While various draft elements of the package have been made public over the past few months the full details have never been presented.
Details of the proposal are expected to be released simultaneous with the White House budget request for fiscal year 2019; however, a separate release with more detail is also anticipated. AGC has long advocated for the need to address infrastructure investment and encouraged the president to deliver on his campaign promise. AGC will work with Congress and the administration to optimize the initiative and achieve its enactment.
At this point it is known that $200 billion in federal funds and loans will be made available with the intention of leveraging that amount to reach the $1.5 trillion goal. A variety of infrastructure categories will be addressed including roads, bridges, airports, water and wastewater, water navigation, energy and others. A significant portion of the federal dollars will be used as an incentive for new state, local and private sector investments in infrastructure. While public-private partnerships will be part of the plan, it will not be the primary focus. Significant portions of the funding will be directed at projects in rural areas and another portion will be aimed at “transformative” projects. Existing federal credit programs such as TIFIA and WIFIA will receive additional resources to encourage innovative financing solutions. The Highway Trust Fund’s chronic revenue shortfall and shortages in other existing infrastructure funds are not expected to be addressed.
Regulatory reform – particularly streamlining the environmental review and permitting requirements – will also be a priority. The president has said he would like to see infrastructure projects approved within two years as opposed to the current ten year timeframe.
Some unanswered questions about the proposal that will hopefully be clarified in Monday’s rollout include where the federal funds will come from and how those funds will be distributed amongst the various federal agencies that manage the different infrastructure programs.
Register Today and Satisfy BWC 2-Hour Safety Requirement!
Following is information about educational opportunities offered by CompManagement, OCA’s TPA for our Group Rating Program for Workers Comp. We encourage OCA members to utilize these services in order to educate your workforce and effect savings on workers comp premiums. Has your organization satisfied the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation BWC) 2-hour safety requirement* for participating in a group rating or group retrospective rating program yet? If not, our upcoming seminar series to be held at a location near you in April provides a great opportunity to satisfy this requirement and has been approved by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation.
BWC - 2-Hour Group Safety Requirement
Private employers – if participating in a group rating or group retrospective rating program for the 2017 policy year (7/1/2017 - 6/30/2018) and have had a claim between 7/1/2015 – 9/30/2016, training must be completed by June 30, 2018.
Public employers – if participating in a group rating or group retrospective rating program for the 2018 policy year (1/1/2018 - 12/31/2018) and have had a claim between 1/1/2016 – 3/31/2017, training must be completed by December 31, 2018.
In addition to the 2-Hour Group Safety requirement, BWC has also approved our seminar series for one (1) Safety Council Rebate program external training credit.
To register today, click here: Registration
In order to register, you will need to provide your Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) policy number and Managed Care Organization (MCO) name. Registration closes Friday, March 30th.
For information on the agenda, locations, and other continuing education units offered, click here: Course Agendas, Locations, Etc.
If you have any questions regarding our 2018 state fund seminar series, please contact Kim Laughlin at (800) 825-6755, extension 65751 or via email at [email protected]. We hope you will take advantage of the training and savings opportunities afforded by CompManagement’s 2018 Seminar Series!
Attend the 2018 Ohio Safety Congress & Expo
The 2018 Ohio Safety Congress & Expo (OSC18), sponsored by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, helps businesses keep their work force safe, healthy and productive. This year’s event will take place at the Columbus Convention Center on March 7-9. More than 200 educational sessions, guest presenters from various states and more than 250 exhibitors share their knowledge and resources at this free event. Individuals with an interest in occupational safety and health, wellness, rehabilitation and medical treatment of injured workers are encouraged to attend. Students are also welcome to attend our educational sessions.
By attending the safety congress, you will learn to:
• Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses;
• Achieve better outcomes for injured workers;
• Reduce workers’ compensation claims costs;
• Keep Ohio’s work force healthy and productive.
Facts about our exhibitors:
• More than 90% of exhibitors were satisfied with the event.
• More than 85% of the exhibitors would recommend exhibiting again.
• More than 85% of exhibitors were satisfied with the leads they collected.
Facts about our educational sessions:
• 94% of attendees believed that there is a potential to impact their organizations after attending our event.
• 96% attendee satisfaction rate.
• 95% of the attendees claimed they would implement what they learned to their workplace.
To complete your free registration, click on the following link: OSC 18 Registration
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