Engineering Inc. - July/August 2016 - (Page 6)

T he U.S. House and Senate have advanced annual funding bills for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development for F.Y. 2017 that would fund surface transportation programs under the FAST Act, and increase funding for other key infrastructure accounts. The Senate bill provides $43.3 billion for highways, nearly $1 billion more than 2016, and $12.3 billion for transit, an increase of $580 million. The bill also boosts the popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) multimodal grants program by $25 million, to $525 million. The bill was approved by a vote of 89-8. The House version of the bill would also fund highway programs under the FAST Act, and it would increase transit capital investment grants by an additional $160 million over the Senate bill. The House bill reduces TIGER grants by $50 million. Both House and Senate bills provide $3.35 billion for the Airport Improvement Program and $2.84 billion for FAA facilities and equipment, which is consistent with current funding. Both bills also provide roughly $1.7 billion for federal rail programs. The House bill was approved by the committee and is awaiting further action from the full House. TRANSPORTATION BILLS BY THE NUMBERS IN THE SENATE: $43.3 billion for highways $12.3 billion for transit $525 million for TIGER multimodal grants IN THE HOUSE: $160 million more than Senate bill for transit $50 million less in TIGER multimodal grants ICONS: DIGITALVISION/GETTY IMAGES Transportation Appropriations Bills Fund FAST Act, Boost Discretionary Grants PHOTODISC/THINKSTOCK Legislative Action A NBC NEWSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES t the request of ACEC, Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., inserted language as part of the 2017 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that urges the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to do more to engage U.S. engineering firms in development projects abroad. This language is the latest step in a long-running effort by the Council to Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) 6 ENGINEERING INC. JULY / AUGUST 2016 promote reforms within the agency. ACEC's International Committee was successful in initiating an internal study within USAID that culminated in the development of the 2014 Construction Assessment. The assessment, which documented USAID's investments of $5.6 billion in roads, bridges, water, power, health care and other projects over a two-year period, brought to light problems in the management of the program, including the lack of complete data on construction projects, the lack of design oversight on projects and the need for more engineering expertise within the agency. ACEC's Member Organizations and the International Committee were effective in educating lawmakers on the issues surrounding the agency. The House is expected to vote on the measure later this year. BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES House Committee Urges USAID to Engage U.S. Engineering Firms

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - July/August 2016

Engineering Inc. - July/August 2016
Contents
From ACEC to You
Market Watch
Legislative Action
Engineering and Cyberdefense
Passing the Baton
Look Beyond the Premium
Turning Up the Power
Secure Defense
Lighting a Spark
Navigating a Challenging Terrain
2016 Fall Conference Preview
Guest Column
Mergers and Acquisitions
Guest Column
Members in the News
Business Insights

Engineering Inc. - July/August 2016