Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003 - (Page 10)

L E G I S L AT I V E AC T I O N ACEC WINS ON FLSA REFORM, QBS; TEA-21 REAUTHORIZATION UNCERTAIN One Down, One to Go; ACEC Defends FLSA These reforms are essential for our industry, and will make a big Reforms in Congress difference in terms of reduced liability and compliance costs, said ACEC and its industry allies narrowly defeated an attempt in the Malcolm Pirnie CEO Bill Dee. House to disallow reforms to the Fair Labor Standards Act FLSA , ACEC Presses for Permanent but another threat looms in the Senate. Price Anderson Extension In July, an ACEC-headed grassroots campaign led the House of T h e Senate passed a comprehensive energy Representatives to reject an amendment offered by Rep. George package that would permanently extend the Miller D-Calif. that sought to prevent the U.S. Department of Price Anderson Act, which provides liability Labor from acting on ACEC-supported reforms to the FLSA. The protection for firms engaged in environmental House rejected the Miller amendment 213-210. cleanup at nuclear sites around the country. Sen. Tom Harkin D-Iowa plans to offer a similar version of the The House-passed energy package H.R. 6 rejected amendment to the Senate's F.Y. 2004 Labor, HHS, and e x t e n d s Price Anderson for 15 years but Education Appropriations bill. ACEC together with the U.S. includes a limited financial accountability Patrick McCann, CEO of Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent subrogation provision that would expose firms Weston Solutions Businesses, and other coalition allies is once again engaged in an to additional liability. ACEC is working to ensure that the Senate i n t e n s e lobbying effort to oppose the language on Price Anderson is adopted when House and Senate con- H a r k i n Amendment and protect the ferees meet in the fall to develop a final compromise bill. FLSA reform effort. Long-term reauthorization of Price Anderson will give our mem- In a letter to Senate members, ACEC ber firms that are involved in nuclear programs, including clean-up noted that regulations governing over- activities, the essential coverage they need, said Weston Solutions' time and minimum wage eligibility under CEO and President, Patrick McCann. t h e FLSA have not been significantly revised in over 50 years. The engineering Congress Close to Clearing workplace has changed considerably dur- ACEC-Backed AIR-21 Reauthorization Bill ing that time and the proposed regula- Bill Dee, CEO of The House and Senate are ready to approve a $62 billion bill to tions will remedy many of the problems Malcolm Pirnie reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs. The four- e n g i n e e r i n g firms face with regard to year measure, titled Vision 100 Century of Aviation Reauthoriza- FLSA compliance. tion Act, increases Airport Improvement Program AIP funding ISSUE ON THE MOVE WHAT'S NEXT for infrastructure improvement from the current $3.4 billion to $3.7 billion in the last year of the bill. Floor fight in the Senate in FLSA Reform Miller Anti- The bill also contains several ACEC-backed provisions to stream- September. Reform Amendment Defeated line the environmental review process for airport expansion and run- way projects, including designating the Department of Transporta- Full committee consideration ACEC Secures $20 billion; tion as the lead agency and requiring federal and state agencies to in September. QBS for Wastewater Projects concurrently conduct reviews. We urge Congress to pass this critical legislation that will address Senate Environment and $4 Billion in Corps Projects the capacity crisis facing our country's largest airports, ACEC Presi- Public Works Committee to dent David Raymond said. Raymond was among the first to testify act in September. before Congress two years ago on the need for concurrent rather than consecutive environmental reviews in order to significantly Extension likely; new six-year TEA -21 Expires Sept. 30 shorten the time between agency go-ahead and project delivery. bill delayed. House, Senate Wrapping Up 2004 Appropriations House, Senate passage AIR-21 Conferee Report expected in September. Finalized The House and Senate are working to wrap up work on F.Y. 2004 appropriation measures totaling almost $785 billion in discre- 1 0 ENGINEERING INC. S e p t e m b e r l October 2003

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003

FROM ACEC TO YOU
ASK MEMBERS
NEWS & NOTES
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
INTERVIEW WITH SENATE DEMOCRATIC WHIP HARRY REID
TRIPLE PLAY
IS YOUR FIRM ETHICAL?
BRANCHING OUT
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
ONE ON ONE

Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003