ACEC President's Monthly Update - September 1, 2011
Dear Colleagues – As Congress comes back next week, we expect a great deal of activity on matters of importance to our industry – including highway and aviation reauthorization, job creation legislation, regulatory reforms, and appropriations for all government programs. ACEC is fully engaged on all fronts. Last week I participated with ACEC/Kansas in Governor Brownback’s services sector summit to press our case against professional services taxes, an issue which arises in numerous states and requires a “whack-a-mole” approach. I also want to report that our ACEC/PAC fundraising efforts – so vital to our advocacy program – are proceeding at a record-setting pace due to your tremendous commitment and participation. Have a great Labor Day weekend! --- David Raymond, ACEC President PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY UPDATE
September 1, 2011 General - Represented engineering industry at Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s services sector summit to oppose a professional services tax.
- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced his commitment to ACEC-backed legislation to repeal the 3% withholding mandate this Fall.
- President Obama called on Congress to expeditiously pass transportation reauthorization bill; ACEC working with Congressional leaders in both Houses to gain passage.
- Welcomed two new ENR 500 firms to ACEC membership: Cardno TBE (ENR #34), headquartered in Florida, and Weston Solutions (ENR #71), headquartered in Pennsylvania.
- September/October issue of Engineering Inc. features a roundtable discussion by state DOT leaders on how they are addressing funding shortfalls.
Government Affairs - Helped secure passage of FAA funding extension after critical two-week lapse; and currently working to secure passage of long-term bill.
- “Action alert” to ACEC members on surface transportation bill has generated well over 1500 letters/emails, advocating extension of existing funding without interruption and passage of long-term bill.
- Hosted fundraisers with ACEC/Tennessee for Senator Bob Corker (R-TN); and with industry allies for Congressmen James Clyburn (D-SC) and Rick Larsen (D-WA).
- ACEC/PAC fundraising continues on a record pace, posting highest eight-month total in ACEC/PAC’s history.
- Provided legislative updates at meetings with ACEC/South Carolina and ACEC/New York.
Institute for Business Management
- Popular business webinars this month: 3 Beneficial Tax Provisions: What Engineering Firms Should Know; “LEEDigation:” Current and Future Green Building Legal Issues.
- Bookstore top sellers: Ownership Transition: Options and Strategies, with CD, 3rd Edition; Clientship, 2nd Edition; Marketing in the 21st Century For Design Professionals; EJCDC E-500: Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner & Engineer for Professional Services; EJCDC C-700: Standard General Conditions of the Construction Contract.
- New COPS publication, 2011 Health, Safety and Training Manual, now available through the ACEC Bookstore.
- Dell Computers added as discount partner, so ACEC members can get special pricing: http://www.acec.org/membership/discounts.cfm#dell
- RCEP.net now has 85 registered education providers and more than 17,220 individual professional records.
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