Meeting planning in the face of COVID-19 can be very stressful. None of us are in control and no one can predict what is going to happen moving forward. The most important thing is to be patient. Do not make rash decisions, weigh all of your options and contact NECA National Staff if you need absolutely anything. If you can, try and look at meetings 30 days at a time because the news is changing daily and this can make a difference with your contract clauses.

NECA is excited to announce the launch of the NECA Educational Advancement Resource Network (EARN), an initiative designed to facilitate relationships and learning between individuals in electrical construction firms and institutions of higher education.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced an interim enforcement response plan for the coronavirus pandemic. The response plan provides instructions and guidance to OSHA Area Offices and compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) for handling coronavirus-related complaints, referrals, and severe illness reports.

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Electrical Contractors Association, David Long, issued a statement on being named to the Great American Economic Revival Industry Group for Construction/Labor/Workforce.

The recipients of the 2020 Recognition of Achievement in Safety Excellence and Recognition of Achievement in Zero Injury programs will be posted on the NECA Recognition of Safety Achievement Program website in the near future. There were 159 Recognition of Achievement in Safety Excellence and 90 Recognition of Achievement in Zero Injury winners for 2020. These recipients will each receive plaques commemorating their accomplishment and be recognized during a session at the 10th Annual NSPC in Chicago, IL later this year. Thank you to all the companies that submitted their applications and continue to strive for Safety Excellence and Zero Injuries in the Electrical Industry.

In light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, OSHA understands that some employers may face difficulties complying with OSHA standards due to the ongoing health emergency. Business closures and other restrictions and limitations may also preclude employee participation in training even when trainers are available. In other situations, access to medical testing facilities may be limited or suspended.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new video and poster for employers and workers on how to properly wear and remove a respirator. The video and poster – in English and Spanish – demonstrate and describe seven steps every worker should follow when putting on and taking off a respirator.

The Treasury Department issued additional guidance (#43 on FAQ) on the Paycheck Protection Program. The Treasury department postponed the Safe Harbor repayment deadline to May 14, 2020, as requested by NECA.

Most kids spend countless hours playing video games in their free time, but for some this hobby could potentially turn into a career. eSports and video game streaming have become a multibillion-dollar industry, drawing sponsorships from companies like Procter and… Read More

The post The Newest Athletes: eSports Gamers and Video Game Streamers appeared first on Anders CPAs.

The new Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction is an area of tax reform that may affect how some business owners structure their entities. This new deduction puts flow-through businesses on a level playing field with C Corporations. In its simplest… Read More

The post Tax Reform for Businesses: Qualified Business Income Deduction appeared first on Anders CPAs.

Manufacturing companies that sell equipment to the federal government or government contractors could be eligible for a tremendous tax benefit. The opportunity can help reduce sales/use taxes paid for consumables purchased in support of such government contracts.
The federal government… Read More

The post How Manufacturers Can Save on Sales/Use Tax for Government Contracts appeared first on Anders CPAs.

EA credits its live game portfolio for an overall strong year, with COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen saying this latest report "[proves] the value of the live services path we†™ve been on." ...

In this GDC 2020 virtual talk NetEase's Renjie Li discusses the application of reinforcement learning in NetEase games, including problems encountered and how the solutions impacted the final product. ...

No matter the size of the organization, if you’re serving on the board you want to feel confident that the organization has the right governance policies and practices in place. Those pesky Form 990 questions actually offer a fantastic checklist… Read More

The post Not-for-Profit Board Governance Best Practices to Implement appeared first on Anders CPAs.

As we continue to navigate unchartered waters, we know the impact this pandemic is having on the not-for-profit community. All of us in public accounting are passionate advocates for our clients. We genuinely want to help you create successful, thriving… Read More

The post A Message To Our Valued Not-for-Profit Friends in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis appeared first on Anders CPAs.

Mobile marketing platform AppLovin has made a undisclosed strategic investment in San Diego mobile studio Redemption Games.  ...

Men are often the default subjects of design, which can have a huge impact on big and critical aspects of everyday life. Caroline Criado Perez is the author of Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, a book about how data from women is ignored and how this bakes in bias and discrimination in the things we design.

Invisible Women

Waiting is something that we all do every day, but our experience of waiting, varies radically depending on the context. And it turns out that design can completely change whether a five minute wait feels reasonable or completely unbearable. Transparency is key.

Wait Wait...Tell Me!

It’s the end of the year and time for our annual mini-stories episodes. Mini-stories are fun, quick hit stories that came up in our research for another episode...or maybe it was some cool thing someone told us about that we found really interesting. They didn’t quite warrant a full episode and two months of hard reporting, but they’re great 99pi stories nonetheless. And my favorite part is we do them as unscripted interviews where I’m in the studio with the people who work on this show, who I like a lot. Sometimes I know a little about what they’re going to talk about, but sometimes I know nothing. It’s very fun. This week we have stories of mistaken identity, unreachable iconic tour destinations, haunted architecture, and of course, raccoons.

Mini-Stories: Volume 7

Make your mark. Go to radiotopia.fm to donate today.

This is part 2 of the 2019- 2020 mini-stories episodes where I interview the staff about their favorite little stories from the built world that don’t quite fill out an entire episode for whatever reason but they are cool 99pi stories nonetheless…

We have centuries old bonds, standard tunings mandated by international treaty, abandoned mansions, and secret babies. If you ever need a conversation starter, the mini-stories are our gift to you.

Mini-Stories 8

Deep within the National Museum of American History’s vaults is a battered Atari case containing what’s known as “the worst video game of all time.” The game is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and it was so bad that not even the might of Steven Spielberg could save it. It was so loathsome that all remaining copies were buried deep in the desert. And it was so horrible that it’s blamed for the collapse of the American home video game industry in the early 1980s.

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The Worst Video Game Ever

There have been over 200,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. All have been tragic, but there are two people in particular we’ve lost due to COVID that were part of the world of architecture and design that we want to honor with a couple of stories today. First, we are mourning the loss of architect Michael McKinnell. Along with Gerhard Kallman, McKinnell designed the unforgettable Boston City Hall, completed in 1968. They won the commission for Boston City Hall after submitting their brutalist, heroic monument in a contest when Michael McKinnell was just 26 years old. It was always a controversial structure, much of the public found it ugly and too unconventional, but architects and critics tend to love it. This is the often the case with Brutalism in general and that is the subject of our first story starring Boston City Hall.

Another voice who is gone too early was Michael Sorkin. Sorkin was a designer and the Village Voice architecture critic in the 80s. He brought a totally new kind of approach to writing about buildings, one that focused on people and politics. We spoke with design critic at Curbed, Alexandra Lange, about Sorkin's work, and Roman Mars reads excerpts from one of his pieces called Two Hundred and Fifty Things an Architect Should Know.

The Smell of Concrete After Rain

In general, the coronavirus shutdowns have been terrible for academic research. Trips have been canceled, labs have shut down, and long-running experiments have been interrupted. But there are some researchers for whom the shutdowns have provided a unique opportunity—a whole new data set, a chance to gather new information, or to look at information in a new way. And so, this week, we’re bringing you stories very different academic fields, about researchers who are using this bizarre, tragic moment to learn something new about the world.

The Natural Experiment

Some small business owners are finding themselves in yet another predicament as they try find new ways to keep their businesses open and comply with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness – workers are taking unemployment over returning to work. In some cases, employers are offering to match or even exceed the unemployment amounts to...

The post Businesses Get a Break on Employees Taking Unemployment Over Returning to Work appeared first on Anders CPA.

Anders tax partner Dave M. Finklang, CPA/CGMA, MBA and tax supervisor Rebekah J. Tucker, CPA have been selected to join the St. Louis Small Business Task Force. Founded by Erin Joy, CEO of Black Dress Circle, the Task Force is a new initiative to bring together leaders from varied industries to clearly define and address...

The post Dave Finklang and Rebekah Tucker Named to St. Louis Small Business Task Force appeared first on Anders CPA.

On November 8, 2019, Sen. Deb Fischer visited the NECA Nebraska Chapter to discuss NECA’s priority issues. Pictured from left to right are Todd Becker of Thompson Electric, Barry Mayfield of IBEW Local 22, Craig Langfeldt of Miller Electric, Anthony Varbaro of the NECA Nebraska Chapter, Dan Smith of Electric Company of Omaha, Sen. Deb Fischer, Rick Milota of National Electric, Neil Davidson of Commonwealth Electric, and NECA Nebraska Chapter Executive Allan Hale.

Take Action: Tell the Senate to Vote on NECA-Supported Cadillac Tax Repeal!

On November 25, 2019, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter met with Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.). The group discussed small business issues, composite plans, and the importance of infrastructure investment. Pictured from left to right are PDJ Chapter’s Aaron Kelley, Dan Hahn of Furness Electric, Christine Meyer of Battaglia Electric, Rep. Blunt Rochester, and PDJ Chapter Executive Jeff Scarpello. 

This week in Government Affairs, Federal Government consolidates platforms for federal work, NECA urges Congress to pass appropriations bills before deadline and 2019 NECAPAC contributions deadline announced.

On December 19, 2019, Peter Butler of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) in the district.

On December 19, 2019, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey chapter attended a holiday event in Philadelphia with Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.). Pictured with Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter’s Aaron Kelley with Rep. Dean.  

On December 23, 2019, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter met with Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.) in the district. The group discussed NECA’s priority issues and the electrical contracting industry. Pictured from left to right are Matt Green of Appellation Construction, Rep. Fred Keller, and Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter’s Aaron Kelley. 

NECA’s government affairs team wishes you a very happy holiday season and we hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends.

NECA's Government Affairs team wraps up 2019, check out the year-end review.

On January 14, 2020, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey chapter had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) and the Secretary of Labor Scalia

On December 11, 2020, members of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.)

On January 22, 2020, members of the Long Island Chapter NECA met with Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.)

This week in NECA Government Affairs we spotlight infrastructure legislation, the new SBA Administrator and the newly signed US/China Trade Agreement.

On January 23, 2020, members of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)

Last week, members of NECA’s Long Island Chapter met with Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.)

NECA Government Affairs top three for the week of February 7, 2020.

On February 11, 2020, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter met with Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.)

1. Hearing on Expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act

On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, the Workforce Protections Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the issue of paid family leave. This hearing examined the different ways that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) could be updated to best benefit employees, employers, and the American economy. Among suggested updates are expanding eligibilty under the FMLA, reducing exclusions, promoting tax cuts to businesses that provide paid leave, and increasing employee access to additional paid leave options.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA will continue to monitor this issue as different solutions to paid family and medical leave are presented, working with legislators to reduce the impact on the electrical construction industry. 

2. President Trump Releases Budget Proposal to Congress 

On March 11, 2019, President Donald Trump released his budget proposal to Congress, “A Budget for America’s Future”. The budget and detailed summaries are found here. 

NECA’s Look Ahead: The President’s budget in its current form will not be passed by Congress to become law. The budget is largely seen as a political document. Regarding government funding, the House is expected to introduce the twelve appropriations bills in Subcommittee by the end of April, with the full committee hearings expected in May. The goal is to pass the twelve bills through the House by July. The Senate is expected to pass their version in June.

3. Your Vote Counts!

The 2020 state primary elections are coming up, so be sure to make your vote count! NECA contractors are uniquely positioned to play an important part in our nation's electoral process. NECA is a diverse organization comprised of many voices and election day is your opportunity to make your voice heard.  

NECA’s Look Ahead: Be sure you are registered to vote in your state before election day and research the candidates on your ballot to see where they stand on issues important to you.

On February 16, 2020, members of NECA’s East Tennessee Chapter met with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.)

On February 24, 2020, NECA’s San Diego Chapter Executive, Andy Berg (left) met with Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.)

On February 24, 2020, a member of NECA’s San Diego Chapter met with Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.)

On April 8, 2020, members of NECA’s San Diego Chapter met with Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.)

AOL Instant Messenger will come to an end on December 15, 2017. It had a long run. It first arrived in 1997.

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