Monthly Archives: October 2015

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Stays Water of the U.S. Rule Nationwide

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Development on Oct 29, 2015.

The United States’ Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, has placed a nationwide stay on the Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States rule. The final rule went into effect in August of this year and was being put into effect before the appeals court stayed its implementation. According the Court, the stay was put in place to temporarily clear up the confusion being created by both the implementation of the law and the legal challenges to it.

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UPDATE: Pennsylvania House Bill Goes to Governor Wolf

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Pending Legislation on Oct 27, 2015.

Reports out of Harrisburg are that Pennsylvania House Bill 874 – identified as the union intimidation bill – has passed through the House on concurrence vote. The vote was 107-91. As previously reported, the legislation now goes to Governor Wolf for signature. He can choose to veto it, sign it into law, or table it. If he tables it, the legislation would become law in 10 days.

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Technology’s Impact on the Legal Process

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Technology on Oct 23, 2015.

Technology has become a huge part of the construction industry. This trend ranges from simple things like the use of email to make project communication easier to the introduction of more advanced technologies like Building Information Modeling, or BIM. While these developments have had a predominately positive impact on the industry in terms of quality and efficiency, technology has also resulted in increased obligations in the legal process. Construction businesses should understand a few of the basic ways technology has impacted the legal process, because a failure to do so could prove costly if litigation ever ensues.

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UPDATE: Union Intimidation Bill Passes Pennsylvania Senate

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Labor Law on Oct 22, 2015.

The Pennsylvania Senate has passed House Bill 874 by a vote of 30-18. The version agreed upon by the Senate will now go back to the Pennsylvania House for a concurrence vote and then on to Governor Wolf to sign. Because the legislation passed through the Senate in substantially the same form as it left the House, there appears little chance the legislation will be hung up again before it hits Governor Wolf’s desk.

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Prices Down for Construction Materials

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Construction Industry News on Oct 19, 2015.

In a classic example of supply and demand, an increased supply in the construction market has paired with a decreased global demand to drive down the price of construction materials for the second month in a row. The primary culprits appear to be the troubled economies of China, Brazil, and Russia.

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Construction Trivia

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in General on Oct 18, 2015.

The construction market is filled with residential and commercial developers prepared to spend millions of dollars on construction work each year.  The projects that determine who spends the most on projects annually can vary in cost and size.  Can you guess the largest purchaser of contruction services, in dollars spent, in the world?

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