Associated General Contractors of America

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The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit business organization founded in 1918 and based in Arlington, Virginia. It bills itself as the “voice and choice” of the U.S construction industry. The organization states that it is primarily dedicated to “the skill, integrity and responsibility of those who build America.”[1]

AGC has 95 chartered state or local affiliates and represents 30,000 businesses including general contractors, specialty contractors and service providers and suppliers . According to its website, AGC was founded “at the request of President Wilson” and is the U.S. government’s “partner” in developing national goals for the construction industry.[2]

Budget & Lobbying

In 2012, AGC reported in its Form 990 to the IRS $16,468,845 in revenue and total assets of $23,509,422.[3] AGC reported nondeductible political lobbying and political expenditures of $495,513. The lobbying and expenditure amounts are not required to be itemized.

AGC has spent between $500,000 and $900,000 on lobbying during the past five years, including $525,000 in 2013. [4] In addition to its in-house lobbyists, it also hires outside lobbyists from Covington & Burling. Top issues lobbied include labor, antitrust, and workplace; roads and highways; transportation; health issues; and environment and superfund.[5]

The AGC is also active lobbying in Oregon. AGC spent $15,000 in 2013 to hire Lindsay Hart LLP.[6] As of 2012, the AGC has five registered lobbyists in Oregon.[7]

As of 2012, the Texas chapter of the AGC employed 13 lobbyists in Texas for a total cost of $1,234,947.[8]

Campaign Contributions

2012 AGC Contributions to Federal Candidates.png

As of the fourth quarter of 2013, the AGC had contributed $327,149 to congressional Republicans and $25,250 to congressional Democrats.[9] Top recipients include Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Steven Daines (R-MT), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Gary Miller (R-CA).

During the 2012 election cycle, the AGC contributed nearly $1 million to congressional candidates, including $862,397 to Republicans and $109,500 to Democrats.[10] Top recipients included Mitt Romney (R), Dean Heller (R-NV), David Dewhurst (R-TX), John Boehner (R-OH), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Chris Gibson (R-NY).

The AGC also contributed $306,767 to state candidates in Oregon during the 2012 election cycle, with over 70% of the money going to Republican candidates.[11] In 2010, the Oregon AGC chapter contributed $152,822 to state candidates and ballot measures, including $52,900 against against state referenda to raise household and corporate taxes.[12]

The Texas chapter of the AGC contributed $3,072,770 to state candidates from 2000 to 2012, with over $2.2 million (72%) going to Republicans.[13]

Controversies

AGC has opposed national sick leave legislation in Congress that could mandate earned or paid sick leave. Such proposals were prompted in part by the threat of the H1N1 flu virus to human health and to the U.S. economy in 2009.[14] State and local AGC charters from the East to West Coast have aggressively opposed the policies. For example, the Oregon charter contended that such a policy adopted in Portland in 2013 effectively raised costs by two percent to pay for sick leave and deprives contractors of the ability to add such costs into existing contracts.[15] The Oregon AGC has called for amendments that would exempt collectively bargained agreements from the ordinances or legislation.[16]

In an immigration initiative, AGC, through other membership organizations, recently has supported importing large numbers of guest workers into the U.S. to “serve as a low-wage construction workforce,” according to the Economic Policy Institute.[17] One criticism of the proposal is that employers, rather than the government, would control whether workers could stay in the country.

In earlier years, as reported by CMD founders John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, AGC helped to establish the now-defunct Environmental Issues Council (EIC), a national group whose central task for a decade was to serve as an industry "ally against ill-conceived environmental regulation" such as protecting the spotted owl.[18]

Leadership

As of March 2014, the Management Committee of the AGC Board of Directors was composed of: President Paul Diederich, Senior Vice President Alan L. Landes, Vice President Charles Greco, and Treasurer Brian Burgett.[19]

Stephen Sandherr has been the Chief Executive Officer of the AGC since 1997. Previously, he was the Director of Congressional Relations at the AGC and attorney at Thompson, Mann and Hutson in Washington, D.C.[20] He received over $530,000 in base pay in 2012 and his total compensation package was valued at $679,069.[21]

David Lukens is the Chief Operating Officer of the AGC. From 1981 to 1986, he served as President Reagan's appointee to the Federal Highway Administration. His total compensation package in 2012 was valued at $676,852.[22]

Contact Information

Associated General Contractors of America
2300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: (703)548-3118
Email: info@agc.org

Web: www.agc.org

Articles and Resources

References

  1. ↑ Associated General Contractors of America, "About AGC," corporate website, accessed March 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ Associated General Contractors of America, "About AGC," corporate website, accessed March 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Associated General Contractors, "Form 990," Internal Revenue Service website, accessed March 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, “Associated General Contractors,” OpenSecrets.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  5. ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, “Issues, 2013," OpenSecrets.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, “Client Profile: Summary, 2013,” OpenSecrets.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, “Associated General Contractors/AGC,” Followthemoney.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, "Associated General Contractors of Texas," Followthemoney.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, "[1]," OpenSecrets.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, "Money to Congress: 2012 Cycle," OpenSecrets.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, "Associated General Contractors," Followthemoney.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  12. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, "[2]," Followthemoney.org, accessed March 13, 2014.
  13. ↑ National Institute on Money in State Politics, "Associated General Contractors of Texas," Followthemoney.org, accessed March 25, 2014.
  14. ↑ Associated General Contractors of America, "New Mandated Paid Sick Leave Bill Introduced in the House," corporate website, accessed March 13, 2014.
  15. ↑ AGC Oregon-Columbia Chapter, "Comments on the Portland Sick Leave Ordinance Administrative Rules," letter, September 6, 2013.
  16. ↑ AGC Oregon-Columbia Chapter, "AGC Responds to BOLI’s Compliance Proposal on Portland’s Sick Leave Ordinance," news release, October 18, 2013.
  17. ↑ Gordon Lafer, "The Legislative Attack on American Wages and Labor Standards, 2011–2012," Economic Policy Institute, October 31, 2013.
  18. ↑ John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, "The Junkyard Dogs of Science," GNT, May 22, 2006.
  19. ↑ Associated General Contractors of America, "Leadership," corporate website, accessed March 13, 2014.
  20. ↑ Associated General Contractors of America, "Leadership," corporate website, accessed March 13, 2014.
  21. ↑ Associated General Contractors, "Form 990," Internal Revenue Service website, accessed March 13, 2014.
  22. ↑ Associated General Contractors, "Form 990," Internal Revenue Service website, accessed March 13, 2014.
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