Note from Angela
Greetings Kansas DBEs,
I hope you all have had a joyful holiday season!
We are in the process of mailing our KDOT DBE customized planner for the first quarter of 2025. If you didn’t get yours, please let us know and we will drop one in the mail for you! We’ve added KDOT letting dates, tax deadlines, and holidays to this planner crafted just for our DBEs!
Check out January deadlines and some interesting news items in the rest of the newsletter below!
We’re introducing a new opportunity in 2025: a monthly (virtual) meetup for DBEs. Starting in February, we will gather via Teams or Zoom to learn and discuss important topics impacting you and your businesses. We are also brainstorming guests that can share their knowledge with us.
We will send a calendar invite to you in January but these events will take place the first Wednesday of every month (starting in February) from 12:30-2pm. Right now, we’re planning for the first hour to be fairly structured and for the last 30 minutes to be a flexible open conversation. The first few dates in 2025 are February 5, March 5, and April 2 if you want to mark your calendar! Please send any thoughts on discussion topics and potential guests to info@motsingercpa.com.
We are monitoring developments in the DBE program and will provide any information we receive (via this newsletter and during our monthly meetups) that impacts this program.
We look forward to seeing your faces (virtually) on a regular basis in 2025!
Ubuntu!
Angela
Angela Motsinger
KDOT DBE Supportive Services
Dates & Deadlines
January 22
KDOT Bid Letting
January 31
Due date to send 2024 W-2s
News
$13M for Rail Service Improvements
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced on Wednesday that 14 Kansas rail projects will receive a total of $13 million through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Rail Service Improvement Program (RSIP). “These projects reflect the diverse needs faced by our Kansas communities and rail operators,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “By bolstering the state’s rail network, we will promote economic opportunity throughout Kansas.” Read more here.
Boost US Construction Workforce by Employing More Immigrant Labor
The issues affecting the U.S. construction industry and its workforce are multiple. Strategies to address them should include promoting a stable corporate culture, establishing legal pathways for migrants, and implementing government programs to enhance workforce development. This section lays out specific recommendations. Read more here.
NAHB-Supported Workforce Development Bill Introduced in House
Bipartisan legislation championed by NAHB that is tailored specifically to ease the severe residential construction labor shortage was introduced in the House today.
Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.) introduced the CONSTRUCTS Act, companion legislation to the Senate bill introduced earlier this year by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) that will support the construction workforce, help improve the housing supply and bend the rising housing cost curve across the nation.
The bipartisan CONSTRUCTS Act directly addresses the lack of workers in the housing sector by expanding opportunities for residential construction training programs at community colleges and technical education schools. Read more here.
