Read the Latest Federal Updates

Executive order creates a task force on manufactured housing permitting and factory-built production

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

Executive Order 14438, Decreasing Housing Costs for the American People, establishes a Task Force on Manufactured Housing Innovation co-chaired by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, with the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce and Veterans Affairs as members. Within 180 days of the order the task force must submit recommendations to the President through the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.

Section 3 of the order, headed Standardizing the Permitting of Homes, is where the construction content sits. The task force’s recommendations must include actions on five subjects: promoting specifications, certifications, inspections and approvals across federal housing and housing-finance programs; establishing reciprocal recognition among agencies of licenses, certifications, approvals and inspections where that avoids unnecessary duplication; eliminating federal requirements and duplicative reviews that unnecessarily impede automation, modularization, standardized production or other advanced manufacturing techniques, or that increase the time or cost of bringing homes to market; using federal financing, insurance, guarantee, purchasing and other program authorities to encourage innovation and greater production of affordable manufactured and factory-built homes; and promoting competition among manufacturers and other market participants while maintaining appropriate standards for safety, quality, durability and consumer protection.

The order separately directs the task force to evaluate whether federal grant funding can be conditioned on, or used to incentivize, state and local adoption of standardized permitting and licensing for factory-built housing, tied to best practices under section 4(a) of Executive Order 14394. It must also prepare legislative recommendations, and the heads of agencies represented on the task force must act within their own authorities to implement what it recommends. The order carries no dollar figures, and its remaining sections deal with mortgage insurance cancellation, title insurance in refinancing and interest rates on direct single-family loans.

Kansas roundup itemizes military construction at Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth

OCTOBER 19, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The White House published state record-of-results roundups for seven states during the two weeks, and these again carry the itemized federal construction figures that the presidential actions themselves do not. The Kansas roundup is the most granular on military construction. Fort Riley is listed for $26 million for a new air traffic control tower, $5.5 million to modernize security infrastructure around the intermodal railyard and $2.6 million to improve the staging area for the 1st Infantry Division. Fort Leavenworth is listed for $8 million for a new fire station and $900,000 to update the current facility. Forbes Field in Topeka was named in October as one of four candidate bases for the KC-46A Pegasus mission, which would bring eight tanker aircraft to the 190th Air Refueling Wing.

On the industrial side the roundup names Merck Animal Health at $895 million to expand its De Soto manufacturing facility and research and development laboratories, with 200 jobs; the Kansas City BioSecure Manufacturing Tech Hub at $34 million to build an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing center and train workers in biomanufacturing; Indra Group at $50 million to build and equip a new Kansas City manufacturing facility, with 200 jobs; U.S. Engineering Metalworks at $25 million for a 110,000-square-foot production facility at Lawrence VenturePark, with about 50 jobs; J.M. Smucker Co. at $20.5 million to expand its Topeka pet food factory; and Beale Infrastructure at $3 billion to build a data center campus in De Soto.

South Carolina roundup names a nuclear power training facility and recruit barracks

OCTOBER 21, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act authorized $161.7 million for a nuclear power training facility expansion at Joint Base Charleston, and Parris Island carries extended funding totaling $166.7 million for new recruit barracks. These are the two largest itemized military construction project lines in the window.

Plant construction in the roundup includes Octapharma at $1.5 billion for a critical care manufacturing plant in Rock Hill, Ferrara Candy Company at $675 million for its first South Carolina operation in Orangeburg County, Okonite at $400 million for a high-voltage electric cable plant in Orangeburg with 105 jobs, Eaton at $340 million to expand transformer production in Jonesville, and Scout Motors at $300 million for a Supplier Park at its Blythewood Production Center, with seven suppliers investing more than $82 million across Spartanburg, Duncan and Piedmont. NorthMark Strategies is listed at $2.8 billion for a high-performance computing facility in Spartanburg, and a $23.5 million federal grant will replace 18 aging bridges across nine counties.

Ohio roundup lists Wright-Patterson work, a submarine repair center and 10 gigawatts of new generation

OCTOBER 28, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act carries more than $72 million for Ohio defense projects, including $60 million for work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Cleveland was named in October as the location of the new U.S. Submarine Component Repair Center, with no dollar figure given. Anduril’s Arsenal-1 in Pickaway County is given as a $910.5 million project expected to create more than 4,000 jobs, with the first Ohio-built Fury drone off the line in July.

SoftBank Group and SB Energy will build 10 gigawatts of new power generation in southern Ohio under a public-private partnership, with $40 million in community benefits from SB Energy, and Nvidia is financing up to $105 billion for a new Super Intelligence data center in Pike County. Plant construction includes Bayer at $2.2 billion for a New Albany pharmaceutical manufacturing campus, with about 600 permanent jobs and 1,500 construction jobs; Electra at $850 million for its first EL9 Ultra Short aircraft production facility in Springfield, with 1,975 new jobs; Kimberly-Clark at $800 million in Warren, its first new United States plant in 37 years; Honda at up to $2.5 billion for a new hybrid vehicle production plant; Stellantis at $400 million at the Toledo Assembly Complex, with over 900 jobs; and Weidmann at $150 million to renovate and expand a historic former paper mill in Middletown. The Department of Energy awarded $500 million to support a $1 billion investment at Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown Works.

North Carolina roundup carries the window’s largest construction job counts

OCTOBER 20, 2026   ·   SOURCE

JetZero is listed at $4.7 billion to build a commercial airplane factory in Greensboro, a project the roundup puts at about 14,560 jobs. Johnson & Johnson is at $2 billion to build a manufacturing campus in Wilson, credited with more than 500 high-wage manufacturing jobs and thousands of construction jobs. Genentech is at $2 billion to expand its Holly Springs biomanufacturing facility, with more than 500 manufacturing jobs and 1,500 construction jobs, and AbbVie at $1.4 billion to build a 185-acre pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Durham, with nearly 750 permanent jobs and more than 2,000 construction jobs. The Genentech and AbbVie entries, with the Ohio Bayer line above, are the window’s most detailed splits between construction employment and permanent plant employment.

Also listed are Biogen at $2 billion to expand manufacturing in the Research Triangle, Prysmian at $1 billion to expand its Catawba County cable manufacturing facility with 385 jobs, US Forged Rings at $875 million to build a new production site in Hertford County with 625 jobs, STERIS at $600 million to build a manufacturing and distribution hub in Sanford with 335 jobs, and Amazon at $10 billion to expand cloud computing and Super Intelligence infrastructure in Richmond County, with at least 500 high-skilled jobs and support for thousands more. Hurricane Helene recovery accounts for more than $7.5 billion in federal disaster funding, plus an additional $858 million recently announced.

Mississippi roundup names installation upgrades and a sheet metal plant expansion

OCTOBER 26, 2026   ·   SOURCE

National Defense Authorization Act funding for Mississippi is given as $528 million, including $53 million for critical upgrades at Columbus Air Force Base, Camp Shelby, Navy Reserve Center Meridian and Key Field Air National Guard Base. The roundup does not state which fiscal year’s act carries the $528 million. Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula received a $99 million contract modification for sea trials of the USS Lyndon B. Johnson and a $283 million contract to begin work on the Navy’s new FF(X) frigates.

On data centers and plants, Amazon is listed at an additional $12 billion to expand its Madison County data center operation with 700 jobs, and xAI at $20 billion to build a data center in Southaven. The roundup places an earlier $3 billion Vicksburg project alongside the Amazon investment without specifying its type. Facility investments include BWC Terminals at $316 million for a terminal facility in Pascagoula, Siemens Energy at $300 million for a new Pearl manufacturing facility for electrical grid components with up to 300 jobs, Hood Industries at $245 million for a new advanced sawmill in Waynesboro, Aluminum Dynamics at $200 million for a recycled aluminum slab center in Lowndes County, Gulf Ship at $44 million to modernize its Gulfport shipyard with 121 jobs, and Southwark Metal Manufacturing Company at $29 million to expand in DeSoto County.

Iowa roundup names a Cedar Rapids data center and a nuclear restart loan

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

Google is listed at $7 billion in cloud and Super Intelligence infrastructure in Iowa, including a new data center in Cedar Rapids and an expansion at Council Bluffs. The roundup also carries a loan of up to $1.9 billion to NextEra to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center, which would provide 615 megawatts of baseload power, described in the roundup as enough for nearly 500,000 homes. Mesabi Metallics is listed at $15 billion for a Lee County steelmaking complex with at least 1,750 permanent positions plus construction jobs the roundup puts only at thousands. Data center developers working with Alliant Energy, among them QTS, must cover 100 percent of the energy and infrastructure costs for their facilities and support a five-year rate freeze.

Plant investment includes John Deere at $20 billion in the United States, with new high-horsepower tractor assembly lines at its Waterloo plant, JBS USA at $135 million for a Perry production facility with hundreds of jobs, Electrical Power Products at $42 million to expand in Des Moines with 200 jobs, Greater Machining and Manufacturing at $16 million to expand in Independence with 100 jobs, and Webster City Custom Meats at $2.5 million to expand its meat processing facility. The Iowa City VA Health Care System is listed for infrastructure upgrades including a dialysis unit renovation, announced in February 2026, with no dollar figure given.

Florida roundup names an airport terminal expansion and detention capacity

OCTOBER 23, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The Federal Aviation Administration awarded $10 million in May 2026 to expand the terminal at President Donald J. Trump International Airport and add facilities for mothers and travelers with special needs. The roundup lists $608 million to expand detention capacity in the state, naming no site, and contract modifications to speed construction of the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir, now expected to be complete by 2029, with no dollar figure given. The Department of Veterans Affairs broke ground in June 2026 on a North Port clinic replacing the Port Charlotte clinic, to serve more than 10,000 veterans annually.

Plant construction includes Johnson & Johnson at $1 billion to upgrade manufacturing and packaging technologies in Jacksonville, where it is also building a new distribution facility; Williams International at $1 billion to build a high-volume aviation gas turbine engine manufacturing facility in Okaloosa County; Blue Origin at $600 million to expand its Rocket Park campus at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport; Lupin at $250 million for a new Coral Springs pharmaceutical manufacturing plant; Chick-fil-A at $150 million for a new Winter Haven distribution center; and Monin at $111 million to build a manufacturing plant in Zephyrhills. In August 2026 Gulf Marine Corporation received over $1 million for training center equipment, wheel loaders and upgrades to three berths in Tampa.

Industry roundup puts the Baltimore Arsenal-2 shipyard at $6.6 billion

OCTOBER 26, 2026   ·   SOURCE

A separate industry roundup published the same day gives new figures for several facility projects. The Navy and Anduril are investing $6.6 billion to build Arsenal-2, a software-defined shipyard in Baltimore. Audi is investing $4.2 billion in its first United States production site near Macon, Georgia, with 4,500 jobs and planned annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. The Defense Production Act is being used to provide $150 million to expand United States refining capacity in Iowa, and Antheia is revitalizing pharmaceutical manufacturing at a facility in Winchester, Kentucky, backed by an $80 million investment. Nebraska is listed for $1.3 billion in domestic fertilizer manufacturing, with TalusAg opening two facilities in the state. Wolfspeed is listed for up to $1.5 billion for semiconductor production expansion in North Carolina.

Proclamation opens Section 232 talks on robotics and industrial machinery imports

OCTOBER 28, 2026   ·   SOURCE

A proclamation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 directs the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to negotiate agreements with trading partners on imports of robotics, industrial machinery and their parts and components, and requires an update on those negotiations within 180 days of the proclamation. It sets no tariff rates, no effective dates and no Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes, and states that the President may consider alternative remedies in the future, including tariffs, duties, quotas and fees.

Neither the proclamation nor the accompanying fact sheet names HVAC, air conditioning, refrigeration, ventilation, fans, blowers, compressors, pumps, boilers, heating equipment or sheet metal fabrication machinery, and whether mechanical equipment falls inside the term industrial machinery is not addressed. Construction equipment and metal fabrication appear only inside one list of the things industrial machinery is used in, alongside electronics, medical devices, motor vehicles and aircraft.

Companion proclamation opens Section 232 talks on wind turbine imports

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

A Section 232 proclamation issued six days before the robotics action covers imports of wind turbines and their components and subcomponents, and requires the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to provide at least one update on negotiations within 180 days. It sets no tariff rates and no effective dates and lists no Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings. The text discusses networked inverters used in wind farms in an import-reliance and cybersecurity context, and blades in a domestic-capacity context, saying domestic manufacturing capacity for certain products such as blades has not meaningfully increased. It says the President may consider alternative remedies in the future, including tariffs, and that the plan of action may pair negotiations with other actions to adjust imports. It also states that certain components made of significant amounts of aluminum, steel or copper are already subject to existing tariffs under Proclamations 9704, 9705 and 10962, as amended, and that nothing in it modifies those.

Council of Economic Advisers puts a dollar figure on faster environmental reviews

OCTOBER 28, 2026   ·   SOURCE

A Council of Economic Advisers analysis estimates the economic effect of statutory deadlines on environmental impact statements. Its baseline is that environmental impact statements published in recent years have averaged roughly 1,700 pages including appendixes and that agencies took on average 4.2 years to complete them. The statutes it names are the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.

Under the two-year environmental impact statement deadline in the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, the analysis projects long-run gross domestic product higher by 0.28 to 0.56 percent, or $82 billion to $164 billion in additional output, annual tax revenue higher by $14 billion to $28 billion, real wages up $306 to $637 per average household, electric bills down $178 to $251 and other household expenses down $125 to $176. A more aggressive one-year completion scenario moves those figures to 0.41 to 0.83 percent of output, or $120 billion to $243 billion, with revenue up $20 billion to $41 billion, wages up $445 to $922, electric bills down $259 to $366 and other expenses down $184 to $257.

Analysis release puts construction wages up $2,800 and factory construction jobs up more than 111,000

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

A release citing a Council of Economic Advisers analysis states that, since the President took office, construction employment has grown by 100,000, including more than 111,000 additional factory construction jobs. Over the same period it puts manufacturing wages up $2,000 and construction wages up $2,800, construction workers’ real wages up $3,800, and inflation-adjusted wages for blue-collar manufacturing workers up an average of $2,400 more per year. Manufacturing employment is given as up 72,000 in 2026, including a 101,000 job increase in durable goods. In both employment pairs, as the release states them, the subcomponent figure exceeds the total. The underlying analysis, titled The State of American Manufacturing, is dated October 10, 2026, and is linked from the release as a PDF.

GSA breaks ground on a $282 million federal courthouse in Chattanooga

OCTOBER 21, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The new United States courthouse in Chattanooga is budgeted at $282 million and will run to approximately 191,000 square feet, with seven courtrooms and nine judges’ chambers, and is expected to reach substantial completion in 2030. HOK is designer of record, Brasfield & Gorrie is construction manager as constructor and fs3|Hodges is construction manager as advisor. Administrator Edward C. Forst said GSA "is honored to work alongside the Judiciary to deliver a brand-new courthouse with great value, care, and speed." Chief Judge Travis R. McDonough of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee thanked Administrator Forst and his team "for their on-time start, protecting both taxpayers and this project."

GSA audits nearly 700 contractors and asks Congress to raise the capital project prospectus threshold

OCTOBER 21, 2026   ·   SOURCE

GSA said 689 firms holding federal contracts are being audited for potential fraud, in work with the Small Business Administration following the suspension of 8(a) Business Development Program participants whose contracts carried a collective ceiling of $5.5 billion. The agency said it has identified more than $13 billion in potential fraud since August, including $1.2 billion coordinated with the Department of Health and Human Services, and that suspected fraud will be referred to its Office of Inspector General and the Justice Department. SBA said that it has spent 21 months cleaning up the 8(a) program, and an SBA assessment found that hundreds of program participants had not demonstrated compliance.

The same release carries a legislative ask bearing directly on federal buildings work: GSA wants the prospectus threshold, the dollar level above which a capital project needs congressional approval, raised from $4.109 million to $75 million. By its own account the agency oversees over $126 billion in products and services, manages approximately 360 million rentable square feet and is addressing nearly $50 billion in delinquent maintenance.

Federal contract minimum wage under Executive Order 13658 rises to $14.05 for 2027

OCTOBER 8, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The Wage and Hour Division set the 2027 rate under Executive Order 13658 in a notice published at 91 FR 64403 on October 8, 2026, a date that fell just outside the last reporting window. Workers on covered federal contracts must generally be paid $14.05 per hour, up from $13.65, and tipped employees performing work on those contracts must generally be paid a cash wage of $9.85, up from $9.55. The notice states that the new rates "shall take effect on January 6, 2027." The rates they replace took effect May 11, 2026.

Coverage is limited to a closed set of older contracts. The rates reach only certain contracts entered into, renewed or extended between January 1, 2015, and January 29, 2022, that have not been renewed or extended on or after January 30, 2022. The Department’s government contracts page says the rate primarily applies to workers performing work on or in connection with federal contracts subject to the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act. Executive Order 14026, which set a separate and higher federal contractor minimum wage, was revoked by Executive Order 14236 at 90 FR 13037, and the Department states that it is no longer enforcing that order and will take steps to effectuate the revocation, including rescinding 29 CFR part 23.

OSHA expands Intertek’s recognition as a nationally recognized testing laboratory

OCTOBER 29, 2026   ·   SOURCE

OSHA granted Intertek Testing Services NA, Inc. an expansion of recognition as a nationally recognized testing laboratory, published at 91 FR 68171. The expansion covers the addition of one test site, Intertek Testing Services (Singapore) Pte Ltd., limited to the test standards for which that site has the proper capability and programs. The firm already holds 34 recognized sites and 608 test standards.

Energy Department commits up to $5 billion for Constellation nuclear uprates at eight plants

OCTOBER 27, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The Office of Energy Dominance Financing made two large new generation financings inside the window. One is a conditional loan commitment of up to $5 billion to Constellation Energy for uprates adding nearly 1.1 gigawatts across eight plants: Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle and Quad Cities in Illinois, Calvert Cliffs in Maryland and Limerick in Pennsylvania. The Department puts the added capacity, which serves PJM and MISO, at enough for more than 930,000 homes, and the work at more than 10,000 project-related jobs. The commitment carries an option to finance uprates at additional Constellation facilities. Constellation must meet technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions before the Department signs final documents and disburses.

Energy Department closes a $5.1 billion loan package for Alliant gas plants and generation upgrades

OCTOBER 28, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The $5.1 billion package to Alliant Energy funds new natural gas-fired power plants, energy storage systems and upgrades to existing generation facilities in Iowa and Wisconsin, adding more than 2.6 gigawatts of new or upgraded power generation capacity. The Department projects more than $1 billion in electricity cost savings and puts the capacity at the equivalent of nearly 2 million homes, with hundreds of construction-related jobs. It is the Administration’s tenth financial close and its sixth and seventh utility financings. The release names no individual plant or site and gives no project count.

Fact sheet puts the nuclear uprate program at approximately 4.7 gigawatts identified

OCTOBER 27, 2026   ·   SOURCE

A fact sheet on Project Uprise states that the program has identified approximately 4.7 gigawatts of additional nuclear capacity, 95 percent of its 5 gigawatt goal by 2029, under an executive order directing the Department to facilitate 5 gigawatts of uprates at existing reactors and to begin construction of 10 new large reactors with complete designs by 2030. It gives the Vogtle uprates as over 300 megawatts, says uprates span 6 gigawatts of existing nuclear capacity, and lists license extensions for Hatch and Farley into the 2050s.

The restart projects are set out with their own figures: Palisades in Michigan at 800 megawatts, with up to 650 high-quality jobs and a $1.5 billion loan to Holtec; the Crane Restart Project in Pennsylvania at 835 megawatts, approximately 800,000 homes, more than 600 jobs and a $1 billion loan to Constellation; and Duane Arnold in Iowa at 615 megawatts, nearly 500,000 homes, approximately 1,500 construction and refurbishment jobs, more than 450 permanent operations jobs and $1.9 billion in financing to NextEra. A separate $17.5 billion American Nuclear Supply Chain Loans conditional commitment covers equipment procurement across five eligible projects, with a goal of accelerating deployment of 10 new reactors by up to three years.

Energy Department puts $42 million into Constitution Pipeline pre-construction work

OCTOBER 19, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The Department will provide up to $42 million in Defense Production Act Title III funding for eligible pre-construction and permitting activities on the proposed 125-mile Constitution Pipeline, which would run from Pennsylvania to New York and is held by Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC. The announcement says the funds may cover environmental reviews and assessments, engineering and site preparation, and that once permits are complete the funding may also support deploying complementary natural gas infrastructure. It also references $1 billion appropriated under the Working Families Tax Cut for energy projects. A companion fact sheet followed on October 21.

Energy Department selects 63 tribe-led projects, including natural gas heating conversions

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The Department announced over $125 million for 63 tribe-led projects across 16 states, including Alaska, reaching 61 tribal entities, and called it the largest single investment in tribal energy development in the office’s twenty-year history. The money comes from FY 2026 and prior-year appropriations. The construction content sits in the 13 community-scale deployment projects, which will bring electric service to 150 tribal homes lacking electricity, convert 500 homes and businesses to natural gas heating, and upgrade electrical infrastructure. The remainder is 27 predevelopment projects covering studies on tribal utility authorities, transmission and distribution, resource assessments, resiliency and workforce development, and 23 planning, assessment and feasibility projects for large-scale, revenue-generating tribal energy projects. The announcement states that selection for award negotiations "is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding."

Energy Department commits up to $150 million to restart a refinery and expand refining capacity

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The Department will use up to $150 million in Defense Production Act Title III funding to restart an American refinery and expand refining capacity, with an expected increase in output of millions of gallons per day. The announcement names no company, site, city or state, stating that the selection process is ongoing and will be announced in the near future, and it does not mention construction. A White House industry roundup published October 26 places the capacity expansion in Iowa. The announcement also references $1 billion in federal funding appropriated for energy projects deemed critical to national security.

Construction company owner and employees indicted over unwithheld employment taxes and surety bond documents

OCTOBER 26, 2026   ·   SOURCE

A federal grand jury indicted Arthur Nelson, the owner of a group of construction companies, along with Joseph Free, Paul Vasquez and Ulysses Jude Devocion. The indictment alleges that between April 2017 and May 2024 the companies paid at least approximately $5 million in wages without withholding federal employment taxes and underreported approximately $13 million in gross receipts. A separate scheme alleged to have run from July 2019 to March 2025 involved false financial documents used to obtain loans, lines of credit and surety bonds. The companies named are MTB AMG Inc. and PAL AMG Inc., which installed glass on commercial businesses; MTB Metal Fabricators Inc., which provided manufacturing services; and Wired NYC LLC, which provided electric installation services. They operated in Brooklyn and then, from March 2022, in New Jersey.

IRS replaces its retirement plan correction program and adds one for individual retirement accounts

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

Two revenue procedures issued the same day cover separate ground. Revenue Procedure 2026-34 expands the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System, the correction system through which plan sponsors fix retirement plan errors, and replaces and restructures Revenue Procedure 2021-30. The release states that it "is effective today," October 22, 2026. It contains the Self-Correction Program, the Voluntary Correction Program and the Audit Closing Agreement Program. The plan types named are qualified plans, section 403(b) plans, SEP arrangements and SIMPLE IRA plans. The release does not mention multiemployer plans.

The second, Revenue Procedure 2026-33, establishes a separate IRA Compliance Resolution System under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. The release states that it "is effective May 1, 2027." Sixty-day rollover waivers obtained through private letter ruling requests will move into that system over 2027 and 2028, while Revenue Procedures 2020-46, 2016-47 and 2003-16 remain available for automatic waiver and self-certification at no cost. Treasury and the IRS invite comments on both programs, with each revenue procedure setting its own comment deadline.

EEOC rescinds its 2012 guidance on arrest and conviction records in hiring

OCTOBER 29, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The Commission voted to rescind its 2012 Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The release states that the rescission "is effective immediately" and that it "does not restore policy statements superseded by the 2012 Guidance." It also states that rescinding the guidance "does not give employers license to engage in unlawful discrimination," and that it does not require employers to abandon any lawful practices they may have adopted in response to the 2012 guidance. The release announces no replacement guidance and no Federal Register notice, and quotes no commissioner other than Chair Andrea Lucas.

Comment period closed on the FAR overhaul rules rewriting the construction and bonding parts

OCTOBER 19, 2026   ·   SOURCE

Comments were due October 19, 2026, on four Revolutionary FAR Overhaul proposed rules published September 18, 2026. FAR Case 2026-010, at regulations.gov docket FAR-2026-0010-0001, is the one carrying the construction content: it rewrites Part 14 on sealed bidding, Part 28 on bonds and insurance, Part 36 on construction and architect-engineer contracts, and the corresponding clauses in Part 52. The others are FAR Case 2026-003 on Parts 8, 12, 13, 15, 38, 44, 51 and 52, docket FAR-2026-0003-0001; FAR Case 2026-006 on Parts 16, 17, 35 and 52, docket FAR-2026-0006-0001; and FAR Case 2026-011 on Parts 9, 27, 47 and 52, docket FAR-2026-0011-0001. The acquisition.gov page listing rules open for comment, last updated October 26, 2026, still shows all four as open, so whether the period was extended is unsettled.

NRC finalizes a rule letting applicants use Energy and War department reactor test data

OCTOBER 22, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The final rule amends 10 CFR Parts 50 and 53 so that applicants may use analyses, test data and other information from Department of Energy or Department of War reactor demonstration programs to support commercial reactor license applications. It published on October 26, 2026, at 91 FR 67195, under Docket ID NRC-2025-1503 and RIN 3150-AL60, and is effective November 25, 2026. The Commission received 136 unique comment submissions on the proposed rule, which published April 2, 2026.

Applicants must still show compliance with NRC requirements and identify differences between the demonstration reactor and the proposed commercial project, including design, site or hazard differences that could affect safety. The final rule states that applicants remain responsible for all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Chairman Ho K. Nieh said the rule "delivers the EO 14300 vision for an expedited path from DOE and DOW projects to NRC commercial licensing."

NRC finalizes a contested hearing rule with three scheduling tracks

OCTOBER 30, 2026   ·   SOURCE

The rule creates Standard, Focused and Expedited hearing tracks keyed to application complexity, and requires hearing notices to include a standard hearing completion date. The Commission says the schedules are designed to complete most cases in about a year and to resolve the simplest cases in roughly six months, against previous hearings that often took years. Hearings will now start as soon as practicable after a contention is admitted rather than after the staff finishes its technical review, a change the Commission says is designed to shave months off proceedings.

The rule implements the 2024 ADVANCE Act and Executive Order 14300, and takes effect 30 days after Federal Register publication, applying to contested hearing opportunities that open on or after the effective date. The proposed rule published March 3, 2026, at 91 FR 10450 under Docket ID NRC-2025-1501. Chairman Ho K. Nieh said the rule "preserves public participation while making the hearing process more efficient." With the design-data rule above, the Commission acted on both the evidentiary requirements for an application and the adjudicatory timetable in the space of eight days.