Engineering Inc. - May/June 2006 - 10

L EG I S L aT I v E aCTIoN FRoM aCEC'S GovERNMENT aFFaIRS DEPaRTMENT Enzi
BiLL SEEkS To REvAMP HEALTHCARE; SECRETARy MinETA RAiSES CAUTion ABoUT
TRAnSPoRTATion FUnding FUTURE ACEC Members Urge Senate SAFETEA-LU in F.Y.
2007, current forecasts indicate that to Pass Affordable Health Care
Legislation declining revenues into the Highway Trust Fund may force dras-
T he United States Senate is considering legislation that tic cuts to the
states. would alleviate the skyrocketing cost of health insur- In
testimony before the House and Senate Transportation ance for business
owners and their employees. And Appropriations Subcommittees, Secretary of
Transportation industry executives from around the country lobbied Norman
Mineta said projections by his department show that for final passage
during ACEC's Annual Convention and Legis- the Highway Account of the
Trust lative Summit. Fund could have a negative balance As approved by the
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of more than $2 billion in F.Y. 2009.
Mark Wilson/Getty iMaGes Committee, S.1955, the Health Insurance
Marketplace Mod- Mineta noted that the Treasury num- ernization Act,
introduced by committee chairman Michael Enzi bers were based on 2005
revenues and R-Wyo. , seeks to make it easier for businesses to band
together projected into the future, and actual across state lines through
national trade associations to achieve revenues could increase or decline
greater bargaining power and economies of scale when purchas- depending on
a number of factors. ing health insurance. If these projections hold true,
how- Transportation Secretary The rising cost of health insurance
continues to be a major ever, the highway program would expe- Norman
Mineta issue for engineering firms, said Roger Jacobson of Engineering
rience dramatic cuts in SAFETEA-LU's Associates in Cody, Wyo. Passage of
this legislation would be final year and beyond, unless Congress takes
corrective actions. a major step that Congress could take to help business
manage Two national commissions have been formed to examine future these
costs more effectively. surface transportation needs and available federal
resources. The ACEC is one of the few associations that currently offers
commissions also are charged with making recommendations on its members
the benefits of an asso- new ways or mechanisms to fund highways and
transit improve- ciation-sponsored health plan. The ments. Their findings
will be reported to Congress in 2007. ACEC Life/Health Insurance Trust
Revenues into the Aviation Trust Fund, which are primar- provides nearly
2,000 ACEC member ily based on ticket and aviation fuel taxes, are
declining sharply firms affordable health insurance prod- due to dropping
ticket prices. The Bush administration unveiled ucts. The trust must
comply with myr- a new proposed financing system for aviation, which
relies on iad state insurance regulations, which assessing fees based on
system and airspace usage. The proposal add cost and, in many cases,
prevent is an attempt to spur early consideration of Vision 100, the FAA
members from accessing the plan. reauthorization bill that will expire in
September of 2007. Sen. Michael Enzi The Enzi bill and similar legisla-
ACEC's Transportation Committee has formed task forces to R-Wyo. tion that
has already passed the House develop recommendations for the aviation
reauthorization legisla- H.R. 525 would streamline excessive state
regulations, tion and the surface transportation funding studies. enhance
the effectiveness of the trust by lowering administrative costs, provide
firms with more options and make it easier for ISSUES oN THE MovE WHaT'S
NExT firms to access an association health plan. Even ACEC members who do
not participate in the trust will benefit, as more compe- Health Plan
Reform Passed in House; Senate tition in the health insurance market will
help control costs. consideration under way We applaud Sen. Enzi's efforts
to address this issue, added Transportation trust fund Commissions to begin
Jacobson. We feel very positive that our lobbying effort at the solvency
consideration of new convention will help him to pass this needed
legislation in the funding mechanisms Senate. Hunter Buy america Bill
Elements of the Hunter bill to be debated in the F.Y. Future
Transportation Revenues in Jeopardy 2007 Defense authoriza- While the Bush
administration and Congress appear ready to tion bill fully fund the
highway program at the levels prescribed in 10 ENGINEERING INC. MaY / JUNE
2006
Engineering Inc. - May/June 2006

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