President Barack Obama said for the first time Feb. 2 that legislation that would require industries to pay for emissions of greenhouse gases may need to be separated from a more popular "green jobs" bill in the Senate, a maneuver that could kill what once had been one of the administration's top policy priorities, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story

President Obama announced a new $30 billion "small-business lending fund" created from bank bailout money. The fund would be available to community banks with assets of $10 billion or less for small-business lending. About 8,000 such small and community banks would be eligible, reported USA Today. Full Story

The Wyoming Legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee voted to spend $113 million on new school construction for the 2011-2012 fiscal years - with the prospect of unspent money boosting the total investment. Because of lower-than-expected bids on school projects, state officials expect millions of unspent dollars to revert to state coffers on June 30, the end of the current fiscal year. That money can be used by the School Facilities Commission, which has authority to spend up to $181 million on school construction, reported Trib.com. Full Story

Massachusetts state officials agreed to pay $215 million toward school construction and renovation projects in a dozen communities, including about $87 million in funding for new high schools in Natick and Tewksbury, which will use existing designs, reported Boston.com. Full Story

"Project ReEnergize," a weatherization program organized by the Builders Association of Minnesota and supported by Andersen Corp., was highlighted as a model for programs in other states at a press conference at the International Builders' Show. As part of its economic stimulus package, the Obama Administration made money available to state agencies for the purpose of weatherizing homes and generating jobs, reported Window & Door. When some Minnesota state agencies could not disburse the funding quickly enough, the state turned to the local home builders association, which quickly trained and certified contractors and insulation installers to make improvements to 1,400 homes. Full Story

Click here for more Industry Access news including recent new hires, merger & acquisition activity and who's offering new products.

* DHI Members may submit news releases to be considered for inclusion in DHI's IndustryWatch. Send to: jmadden@dhi.org

AGC's Constructor Magazine looks at ways to help specialty contractors beat the recession. Full Story

Leading U.S. economic indicators increased 1.1% in December and have risen for nine straight months, suggesting that the pace of improvement could pick up this spring, reported MarketWatch. Full Story

For the first time since the start of the economic downturn, every state and the District of Columbia reported losing construction jobs over the past twelve months, according to a new analysis of state-by-state employment data. The analysis, conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America, found few signs of a construction industry recovery with only six states reporting construction job increases between November and December 2009. Full Story

The volume of nonresidential building construction is expected to expand in the next twelve months, according to Reed Construction Data/RSMeans Commercial Construction Expansion Index. The RCD/RSMeans Expansion Index is a one-year "look ahead"; at the construction marketplace at the local market level. It indicates whether a location's construction volume is projected to expand or shrink in the upcoming twelve months. Full Story

The value of construction starts in 2009, excluding residential contracts, totaled $269.9 billion, 6.8% less than in 2008, according to Reed Construction Data. Individual month of December starts were 13.2% lower than November starts. This more than reverses the large gain in the previous month. Note that bad weather in December caused a huge jump in construction layoffs. Some of the December weakness is likely due to a brief and reversible weather impact. December starts were 25% higher than the monthly average in the first half of 2009, reported Reed Construction Data. Full Story

Building permits in the U.S. unexpectedly jumped in December, signaling gains in housing will be sustained into 2010 after winter weather depressed construction at the end of last year, reported The Press-Enterprise. Applications rose 11% to a 653,000 annual rate last month, the most since October 2008, according to the Commerce Department. Full Story

A 17-story state-of-the-art hospital, surrounded by new clinics and parking garages, will replace Dallas County's overcrowded charity hospital in 2014. The main tower of the new hospital will have almost 2 million square feet of floor space, making it almost twice the size of the current one, reported The Dallas Morning News. Full Story

Brooklyn's (NY) growing shopping and dining scene will soon be more accessible to tourists and visiting friends with 40 new hotels planned for the borough in the coming years, reported NBCNewYork.com. Full Story

Jobs Tax Credit

It is too soon to offer a prognosis on the likelihood of the passage of a new job tax credit.  While the President has offered his suggestion, the Senate majority has not revealed their proposal.

For the record, here's the President's proposal:

• Employers would receive a tax credit of up to $5,000 against their payroll taxes for every net new employee they hire in 2010. Start-ups would be eligible for half the credit, which provides an incentive for entrepreneurship while avoiding gaming. The credit would be administered off an employer's unemployment insurance wage base (equal to 72% of the unemployment insurance wage base increase, or $5,000 credit for each additional worker who earns at least $7,000).

• Businesses will receive a bonus 6.2% tax credit on aggregate wages in excess of inflation – reimbursing the employer for the Social Security payroll taxes they pay on those payroll increases.  This wage bonus would be calculated off the Social Security payroll tax base, so firms would not get credit for increasing wages for employees making more than the current taxable maximum of $106,800.

• All firms with net employment increases will be eligible for these credits but the maximum credit will be limited to $500,000 per business.

• Businesses that reduce employment or payrolls in 2010 would be ineligible for both the $5,000 credit and the wage bonus. The credit would also include anti-abuse provisions designed to deny or limit the credit to employers that seek to game the system by, for example, replacing full-time employees with part-time employees. This will include limiting the maximum jobs credit amount to 25% of the increase in a firm's Social Security payroll wage base.

• Employers would have the option of receiving the tax credit on a quarterly estimated basis.

DHI's Jerry Heppes sits on the board of the Small Business Legislative Council. If you'd like more information on these or other issues affecting small businesses, feel free to contact him at jheppes@dhi.org.

This material is protected under copyright law and contains confidential information.  It is for the sole personal, informational use of DHI members. It cannot be distributed, reprinted, referenced as a source for attribution, or otherwise made public.

Instructor Dan Flynn, FDAI leads a section on understanding fire door labels.

Great Turnout for Fire Door Inspection Class in St. Louis

Over 55 fire and building code officials attended the Foundation's fire door training course in St. Louis on Wednesday, January 27th. Fire officials already have spoken within their ranks and requested that two other classes be held within the month to meet the demand for interest with fire doors.

Advance Your Career Through Industry Education AND Save $$$...
Take Advantage of Early Bird Pricing!

DHI's National School April 25 – May 2, 2010 in Lansdowne, VA

DHI's National Education and Certification Program are designed to help you do just that! With only 2 National schools scheduled in 2010, take advantage of DHI's upcoming May 2010 National school in Lansdowne, VA, to increase your technical knowledge and hone your skills!  Register now! Our special Early Bird tuition rate offer ends March 22.

This upcoming school offers 28 different classes – including the Fire and Egress Door Assembly Inspection class (DAI 600)!

Please note that due to consistent high demand for DHI National Education, we recommend that you sign-up for classes as soon as possible to secure your spot BEFORE classes sell out. For a complete list of course offerings click here!

***Please be sure to go to www.dhi.org to register OR check out the February 2010 issue of Doors & Hardware for a summary of the Fall National School and complete registration information*** 

FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHITECTURAL DOORS AND HARDWARE
An Interactive Self-Study Course

This CD-based self-study course is a complete in-house training program providing a comprehensive introduction to industry products and their applications. It's a perfect cost-effective solution for on-going training needs.

Learn to answer basic questions about industry products and applications; read and interpret blueprints, hardware schedules and specifications; recommend appropriate hardware; and improve job site service and troubleshooting. Improve your customer service through a more confident staff — reduce costly errors and omissions with enhanced training of your staff, and improve productivity by bringing them up to speed...quickly!

Who Should Order This course?

NOVICES entering the industry who want to expand their industry knowledge. Complete the course at your own pace in the comfort of your home or office.

PROFESSIONALS who want to hone the correct terminology and practices needed to advance their careers. This course will improve your communications with industry colleagues.

EMPLOYERS who are ready to invest in their employees. You'll be rewarded with knowledgeable, productive and profitable employees...without time away from the office and at a fraction of the cost.

Click here to order or for specific questions regarding the Self-Study Course, please contact Amee Patel at 703-766-7025.

DHI-Sponsored Insurance

The Door and Hardware Institute has endorsed Telcom Insurance Services Corporation (TISC) to administer an insurance program for DHI members. TISC is a national leader in developing association specific programs and has worked closely with the leaders and select members of DHI to become an authority on providing protection to the architectural door openings industry.

The program offers a full range of insurance coverage including Errors and omissions, Property and Casualty, Directors and Officers, Employment Practices Liability, and Professional Liability. For more information, click here!

For an insurance review, contact: