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

Congratulations to Rick Osbakken for being our first PLC renewal of 2020! 

Personal Contributions = 5
Corporate Contributions = 3

NECAPAC Fund to 1-7-20 = $5,070
ADMIN Fund to 1-7-20 = $1,600

Total Contributions to Date = 8
Total Dollars to Date = $6,670

Congratulations to Ike Poe of New River Electrical Corp. for renewing his 2020 PLC membership!

Personal Contributions = 31
Corporate Contributions = 1

NECAPAC Fund to 1-17-20 = $18,380
ADMIN Fund to 1-17-20 = $1,000

Total Contributions to Date = 32
Total Dollars to Date = $19,380

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.)

Congratulations to Nicolaus Feldmann of Eldor Contracting Corp. for renewing his 2020 PLC membership!

Personal Contributions = 34
Corporate Contributions = 2 

NECAPAC Fund to 1-24-20 = $24,100
ADMIN Fund to 1-24-20 = $6,000

Total Contributions to Date = 36
Total Dollars to Date = $30,100

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

Congratulations to William Darnstadt of Lyons Electric Company for renewing his 2020 PLC membership! 

Personal Contributions = 52
Corporate Contributions = 28

NECAPAC Fund to 1-31-20 = $31,020
ADMIN Fund to 1-31-20 = $11,000

Total Contributions to Date = 80
Total Dollars to Date = $42,020 

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

Personal Contributions = 52
Corporate Contributions = 175

NECAPAC Fund to 2-7-20 = $31,080
ADMIN Fund to 2-7-20 = $13,600

Total Contributions to Date = 227
Total Dollars to Date = $44,680

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

Congratulations to Blair Mahan of Benson Electric Company and District 7 Vice President Greg Rick of Rick Electric for renewing their 2020 PLC memberships!

Personal Contributions = 55
Corporate Contributions = 177

NECAPAC Fund to 2-14-20 = $42,140
ADMIN Fund to 2-14-20 = $13,950 

Total Contributions to Date = 232
Total Dollars to Date = $56,090 

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

Special thanks to Gloria Ashford of Ashford Electric & Construction, LeeAnn Cochran of Cochran Inc., Drew Mackey of Evergreen Power Systems, Marvin Nelson of Nelson Electric, Greg Stewart of The Superior Group, and Rick Rothermel of Pacific Coast Electrical Contractors for renewing their 2020 PLC memberships!

Congratulations to NECA’s Puget Sound Chapter for being the first chapter to reach its goal for 2020!

Personal Contributions = 64
Corporate Contributions = 232 

NECAPAC Fund to 2-21-20 = $72,446
ADMIN Fund to 2-21-20 = $24,450

Total Contributions to Date = 296
Total Dollars to Date = $96,896 

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

Congratulations to David Washebek of Lemberg Electric for joining the Political Leadership Council! 

Personal Contributions = 77
Corporate Contributions = 234

NECAPAC Fund to 2-28-20 = $88,676
ADMIN Fund to 2-28-20 = $25,700

Total Contributions to Date = 311
Total Dollars to Date = $114,376

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.)

Congratulations to Puget Sound Chapter Executive Barry Sherman for renewing his Political Leadership Council membership. 

Special thanks to Thomas DePace of Advance Sound Company for renewing his NextGen PLC Membership!

Personal Contributions = 86
Corporate Contributions = 267

NECAPAC Fund to 3-6-20 = $101,011
ADMIN Fund to 3-6-20 = $26,700

Total Contributions to Date = 353
Total Dollars to Date = $127,711 

1. Hearing Held to Reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act

On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, the Higher Education and Workforce investment Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss reauthorizing the National Apprenticeship Act. The National Apprenticeship Act, originally passed in 1937, will be amended to expand the apprenticeship system to include broader forms of apprenticeship programs. This discussion is centered around how to modernize the Act and bring apprenticeships into the 21^st century.  

NECA’s Look Ahead: Preserving these valued apprenticeship programs is a priority. NECA continues to work closely with legislators while this bill is being shaped.

2. NLRB Chairman and General Counsel to Testify Regarding Funding     

Next week, the Chairman and General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board are scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations committee. This hearing is anticipated to be contentious with lawmakers inquiring as to the reasons behind the Trump Administration’s request to lower the board’s funding by 10%. At the same time, the NLRB’s regional offices are plagued with under-employment and the board itself is dogged with hearings and legal challenges over ethical conflicts of interest.

NECA’s Look Ahead: While historically the National Labor Relations Board has been a contentious and often politicized place, this hearing is expected to highlight the new level of dysfunction that now riddles the Board. NECA believes that lawmakers should continue to fully fund the NLRB and encourage their leadership to expedite the hiring of their regional offices.

3. Congress Passes Coronavirus Funding Bill

On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, Congress passed a NECA-supported bill, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

NECA’s Look Ahead: This bill addresses the critical funding issues surrounding the U.S. response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The bill includes the following:

• $4 billion to make diagnostic tests more broadly available

• $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a robust response, including:

• $1 billion exclusively for state and local response efforts
• $300 million for CDC’s Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund
• $20 million to administer disaster assistance loans for small businesses impacted by the virus.
• $1.25 billion for the State Department and (USAID)
• $264 million to evacuate Americans and maintain consular operations overseas

Congratulations to NECA’s Southern Tier Chapter for reaching their goal for 2020!

Personal Contributions = 91
Corporate Contributions = 328

NECAPAC Fund to 3-13-20 = $103,991
ADMIN Fund to 3-13-20 = $41,500

Total Contributions to Date = 419
Total Dollars to Date = $145,491 

1. NECA Helps Secure Construction Industry Exemption in Final IRAP Rule

On March 10, 2020, the Department of Labor released the final rule of the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) regulation. The final rule contains a permanent construction industry exemption, thereby protecting our industry from participation in IRAPs. NECA released a statement thanking the Administration for recognizing that the construction industry has longstanding expertise in the creation and execution of apprenticeships.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA strongly advocated for the construction industry’s exemption, with thousands of NECA contractors sending comments to the Department of Labor. By securing this exemption, the long-established, gold standard apprenticeship model that NECA Contractors utilize will remain intact and not be subjected to these parallel programs which will operate with less scrutiny and limited educational requirements.

2. The House Introduces Legislation to Address COVID-19 Outbreak

Washington D.C., like the rest of the nation and world, is responding to the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). On the evening of March 11, President Trump addressed the nation live from the  Oval Office. On Capitol Hill, negotiators continue to work to find a compromise between competing coronavirus response bills.

NECA’s Look Ahead: In response to the crisis, the Senate plans to cancel a previously scheduled recess week. The House will gavel out today and will return to Washington D.C. on March 23, 2020 to finish the negotiations on a final response package. NECA CEO, David Long, released the following statement in response to the legislative and regulatory negotiations: “ NECA government affairs remains fully engaged with Members of Congress, the Department of Labor, and OSHA on how to best handle the COVID-19 outbreak with safety being a top concern for our contractors and their employees. We continue to monitor legislation coming out of Congress to address the economic impact of this outbreak and will inform our contractors on how to best work with the new regulations when they are finalized.”

3. NLRB Chairman Testifies Regarding Funding      

On March 11, 2020, the House Committee on Appropriations held a hearing on the National Labor Relations Board Budget Request for FY 2021. Testifying on behalf of the NLRB was the Honorable John Ring, Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB budget request and justification documents can be found here.

NECA’s Look Ahead: The NLRB’s FY 2021 budget request funds their mission to protect the rights of employees, unions, and employers under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). NECA believes that lawmakers should continue to fully fund the NLRB and encourage their leadership to expedite the hiring of their regional offices.

Personal Contributions = 96
Corporate Contributions = 329

NECAPAC Fund to 3-20-20 = $105,390
ADMIN Fund to 3-20-20 = $42,035 

Total Contributions to Date = 425
Total Dollars to Date = $147,425

Personal Contributions = 96
Corporate Contributions = 329

NECAPAC Fund to 3-27-20 = $105,390
ADMIN Fund to 3-27-20 = $42,035

Total Contributions to Date = 425
Total Dollars to Date = $147,425

Personal Contributions = 129
Corporate Contributions = 329

NECAPAC Fund to 4-3-20 = $110,600
ADMIN Fund to 4-3-20 = $42,035

Total Contributions to Date = 458
Total Dollars to Date = $152,635 

Special thanks to John Banks of Motor Shop Electrical Construction for renewing his 2020 PLC membership!

Personal Contributions = 137
Corporate Contributions = 329

NECAPAC Fund to 4-10-20 = $116,720
ADMIN Fund to 4-10-20 = $42,035

Total Contributions to Date = 466
Total Dollars to Date = $158,755 

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

Personal Contributions = 137
Corporate Contributions = 329

NECAPAC Fund to 4-17-20 = $116,720
ADMIN Fund to 4-17-20 = $42,035

Total Contributions to Date = 466
Total Dollars to Date = $158,755 

Personal Contributions = 138
Corporate Contributions = 330

NECAPAC Fund to 4-24-20 = $116,997
ADMIN Fund to 4-24-20 = $44,535

Total Contributions to Date = 468
Total Dollars to Date = $161,532 

Special thanks to Brent Fatzinger of Abbot Electric for renewing his PLC membership!

Personal Contributions = 142
Corporate Contributions = 330

NECAPAC Fund to 5-1-20 = $123,357
ADMIN Fund to 5-1-20 = $44,535

Total Contributions to Date = 472
Total Dollars to Date = $167,892

Special thanks to Mark Huston of Lone Star Electric for renewing his PLC membership!

Personal Contributions = 147
Corporate Contributions = 361

NECAPAC Fund to 5-8-20 = $134,517
ADMIN Fund to 5-8-20 = $50,535

Total Contributions to Date = 508
Total Dollars to Date = $185,052

Yahoo has announced the launch of Yahoo Livetext, a video texting app with no audio.

Read more on howtoweb.com

Google has unveiled its new iPhone app called Gboard. The app makes it easy to use mobile search from within any app.

Read more on howtoweb.com

Google Maps has added a sharing feature. You can track your favorite places and share them with your friends.

Read more on howtoweb.com

Microsoft sent around an internal memo banning April Fools pranks.

Read more on howtoweb.com

Nathan Vella has joined up with Annapurna Interactive, taking an unmentioned seat on its executive team and lending his expertise to the company's work with independent game developers. ...

Monster Hunter publisher Capcom reported Friday a year on year decline in annual sales, but a jump in profits for its full fiscal year. ...

In this 2020 GDC Virtual Talk, Pixel Reef's Clement Duquesne shares how they crafted the detailed systems that breathe aural life into Paper Beast's animated creatures and dynamic landscapes. ...

There’s no doubt that businesses have been thrown into a “new normal”. For the past few weeks, business owners have worked to understand the aspects of the CARES Act, and the FFCRA, while trying to rework budgets, cash flow projections,… Read More

The post GAAP Financial Reporting Considerations Related to the COVID-19 Crisis appeared first on Anders CPAs.

Stardock Entertainment continually breaks new technical ground across our catalog of PC game titles spanning 4X and Real-Time Strategy and Action Adventure. We are currently seeking a Graphics Programmer to work on our next-generation game engine for both announced and unannounced titles to build up our team of dedicated and experienced talent! This is a salaried, full-time position at our Plymouth, Michigan studio. Primary Responsibilities Include: Work with the artists and designers to produce next-generation graphics Troubleshoot technical issues related to graphics Optimize graphics to run on a variety of platforms and machine specifications   Create and maintain tools for artists to visualize and debug their assets  Education and/or Experience Desired: A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field 3+ years experience in C++ required Familiarity with 3D math, including quaternions and matrix math required Shipped at least one commercial game Experience with all core areas of graphics development (Shaders, Animation, Post-Effects, PBR Materials, and particles) while demonstrating a specialization in one of those areas required Critical eye for attention to detail Familiarity with 3D graphics hardware and driver stack Experience with at least one graphics API: OpenGL, Direct3D, Vulkan, Metal; and a shading language like HLSL or GLSL Experience developing on current generation or next-generation console is a plus  

Franchises lost the fewest jobs, but overall the unemployment number was unprecedented.

A new series called Stories in Place on Vimeo shares the stories of small businesses across the US dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The old paradigm for supply chain networks has run its course, and the future is in multi-enterprise, or multi-party business networks

U.S. Attorneys and other legal professionals across the DOJ will have access to legal products and services

Financial services organizations typically have high-volume, high-value documents, which can be manually intensive if processes are not automated

New initiative streamlines processes and improves patient outcomes

With Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service, Esri's development time has improved by 20%-50%

Hospital network moves finance, procurement, human resources, and supply chain applications to the cloud to increase efficiency and improve business insights

Enterprise search projects start with intentions to provide ?Google for our organization' but too often fail to deliver on that promise. In our experience, these projects fail due to a lack of sustained effort and governance. The commercialization of next-generation search technologies allows you to fulfill this promise if you take a systematic approach to implementation.

Monster Hunter publisher Capcom reported Friday a year on year decline in annual sales, but a jump in profits for its full fiscal year. ...