Engineering Inc. - November/December 2010 - (Page 6)

Legislative Action ACEC Sees Challenges, Opportunities In Republican Election Wave T T House Passes ACEC-Backed 9/11 Liability Relief Legislation he U.S. House of Representatives passed ACEC-endorsed legislation in September that provides liability relief for engineering firms involved in the response and cleanup of the ground zero site following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Under the legislation, individuals who lived or worked near ground zero and accept compensation for related health problems must relinquish their right to sue. In paying any remaining claims, engineering firms’ liability will be capped by the limit of their professional liability insurance policy as of Sept. 11, 2001. ACEC is urging the Senate to act on the legislation later in the fall. 6 ENGINEERING INC. NovEmbER / DECEmbER 2010 he Republican takeover in the U.S. House of Representatives, together with major gains in the Senate, will create significant new opportunities—and challenges—for ACEC’s legislative agenda. A more business-friendly Congress in 2011 will curtail the resurgent labor movement that opposed contracting out and called for increased regulation. At the same time, emphasis on deficit reduction will test the Council’s efforts to pass long-stalled infrastructure funding initiatives, such as a new six-year surface transportation program. “Our success hinges on our continued ability to work with both parties in a highly charged political atmosphere,” said ACEC President Dave Raymond. Several key Democratic committee chairmen lost their seats, but ACEC has strong relationships with the anticipated new chairmen. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) was an unexpected casualty on election night, as were House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-S.C.) and Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.). Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) is expected to take over as chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, while Reps. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) are poised to take the gavels of the Armed Services Committee and the Budget Committee, respectively. ACEC enjoys a strong relationship with all three, as well as with the three congressmen most likely to succeed Oberstar as the senior Democrat on the Transportation Committee: Reps. Nick Rahall (D-W.V.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Jerry Costello (D-Ill.). In other election news, the Minuteman Fund helped two State Organizations win important infrastructure funding initiatives. Voters in Houston approved Proposition 1, a ballot initiative that would create a dedicated fund for street and drainage improvements and implement a pay-as-you-go system rather than use municipal bonds. This measure is expected to generate $9 billion for infrastructure over the next 20 years. “The contribution of the ACEC Minuteman Fund was pivotal in this effort,” added Steve Stagner, executive director of the state organization. ACEC/Colorado helped defeat three ballot initiatives that would have gutted the Colorado state Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), right, during a fundraiser in his budget. honor at the 2010 Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. The initiatives would have reduced Also pictured are ACEC President Dave Raymond (center) vehicle fees and income taxes, and former ACEC Chairman Tim Psomas. Mica is poised to eliminated other taxes, required voter become the next chairman of the House Transportation approval of property tax increases and Infrastructure Committee. and prohibited the state government from borrowing funds. “These ballot initiatives were unprecedented in Colorado in the extent to which they sought to reduce revenues that would directly impact on infrastructure funding,” said ACEC/Colorado Executive Director Marilen Reimer. “We thank the Minuteman Fund for aiding in this critical effort to protect state infrastructure funding and the public good.”

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - November/December 2010

Engineering Inc. - November/December 2010
Contents
From ACEC to You
News and Notes
Market Watch
Legislative Action
Power Play
2010 Fall Conference Highlights
Ins and Outs
Re-energized
Business Insights
Young Professionals of the Year
Members in the News

Engineering Inc. - November/December 2010