Some of the group's requests are part of multiple bills in Congress, but the likelihood of those parts passing is unclear.
The downturn has hurt general contractors in Maryland differently depending on their focus and backlog of work when the slowdown hit, but "we're all feeling it," said Steve Kimball, senior vice president of Kimball Construction in White Marsh.
Maryland has fared better than some areas because of the federal construction market, thanks to its proximity to Washington and nearby Army bases, he said.
"This is a very good time for [project] owners to be going out for pricing," he said. Contractors are "very competitive, and the price spikes that had occurred in steel and lumber have all come back in line. That coupled with the lack of work for contractors and everyone is competing very strongly on every opportunity."
Kimball said his company, which does construction for private and government-owned facilities, has been working off a backlog of projects, many of which are now close to completion, leaving some uncertainty for next year.
"We're bidding everything we can bid, but there always seems to be someone hungrier than we are," he said.
