Construction Law Now Blog

The “Job Applicant Fairness Act,” (the Act) signed into law on April 12, 2011, prohibits most Maryland employers from using credit reports and credit histories as a means of determining hiring and retention. Generally, employers are ...

Earlier this week, Philadelphia’s Historic Preservation Alliance hosted its Eighteenth Annual Achievement Awards, where individuals and organizations were honored for significant contributions to historic preservation. Congratulations to the ...

A recent study of Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC) showed that the building has been “wasting energy” for years. The finding has brought much criticism from taxpayers. The study performed by the Green ...

Is construction picking up throughout the Mid-Atlantic region? Here are just a few summaries of headlines for Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania Maryland: As of March 2011, construction projects in several Maryland counties continue to increase, ...

It is hard to dispute that the past three years have been difficult for West Virginia’s construction industry, and so far 2011 hasn’t seen much improvement. Employment in the construction industry is down approximately 10% this year over ...

International Energy Conservation Code Upgrades The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) has been upgraded to require that newly constructed and renovated residential and commercial buildings achieve energy savings 30% higher than the ...

For an increasing number of contractors, survival in the current economy has resulted in the need to find and secure work in other states. The migration of contractors to neighboring states is apparent throughout the country. Besides the work ...

Cohen Seglias is hosting a series of seminars, throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, for regional contractors and trade subcontractors whose work areas span multiple states. The “Crossing Borders” program highlights distinctions in the laws of ...

On April 26, 2011, the Maryland Court of Appeals (Court of Appeals) issued a decision in BEKA Industries, Inc. v. Worcester County Bd. of Education. This case involves a number of issues, the most significant of which is the application, extent and ...

New Jersey Turnpike officials recently announced that they expect to advertise approximately $800 million in Turnpike related construction projects to be completed by February 2012. The projects will include road widening, bridge deck, resurfacing, ...

With Marcellus Shale natural gas continuing to grow in demand, it has become increasingly important to update the rail systems used to transport the product. With this in mind, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on April 18, 2011, announced a ...

On April 8, 2011, the Commonwealth Financing Authority announced its approval of $6.5 million in new alternative and clean energy grants. According to C. Alan Walker, acting Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, these ...

Two weeks ago, April 3-5, the 2011 PV America conference was held in Philadelphia. More than 3,000 attendees, including PV manufacturers, distributors and installers, industry financiers and project developers, converged upon the Pennsylvania ...

On April 12, 2011, the Pennsylvania Senate voted to pass House Bill 377 (HB 377). The Senate’s version of the bill contained some changes, and HB 377 was sent back to the House for a concurrence vote. A day later, the House voted to approve ...

Maryland Live! Casino, which broke ground in January of this year, is hosting an event on Monday, April 18, 2011, “for subcontractors, vendors and suppliers to participate in the construction of the $200 million project.” Casino management is ...

According to the Baltimore Business Journal, downtown Baltimore’s office vacancy rate is, amazingly, about 19%. A new task force, co-chaired by  J. Kirby Fowler, President of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc. and Colin Tarbert, Deputy ...

The on-again-off-again Graterford Prison project has just met another hurdle. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s administration just announced that the Department of General Services will re-bid the project to include a new death row wing, and a ...

On March 24, 2011, Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman’s Labor & Employment Group hosted the 3rd Annual Labor & Employment Law Seminar, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. About 70 people attended the half-day seminar to ...

What do leading economists have to say about an economic recovery for the construction industry? The reviews are mixed, but hopeful. The following three economists recently spoke at an American Institute of Architects (AIA) sponsored webinar in ...

On Tuesday, March 22, 2011, the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) held an event during which Karen Waigand, the Women’s Business Coordinator for the Small Business Administration (SBA), spoke about the ...