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Volume XXIII, Number 9
March 8, 2002
1015 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-347-7474
Fax
202-898-0068
www.acec.org
E-mail acec@acec.org
Ellen
Mullally, Editor
Francis George, Production Manager
___________________
ACEC Means
Business
Save $100 On The early-bird deadline for ACEC’s CEO Retreat, which is being held
April 10-12 in Marco Island, Fla., has been extended to March 15, 2002!
Go online to http://www.acec.org/ Peer Reviewer Training Now
Available Upgrade your management skills and contribute to the health and welfare
of our industry by becoming a peer reviewer. Training will be offered
twice in 2002: March 21 in Washington, D.C., and May 11 in Las Vegas.
Veteran reviewers are only required to attend the afternoon
portion of the training. For more information on the March 21 session,
contact Kevin Shertz (kshertz@aia.org, 202-626-7579). For more
information on the May 11 session, contact Emily Guerrero
(eguerrero@acec.org, 202-682-4320).
The CEO
Retreat
meetmein/seminars/ceo.pdf or contact Nancy Mosely (nmosely@acec.org or 202-682-4324) to take
advantage of this extended
offer!
Health And Safety Guidelines: An Important Resource
ACEC will be selling its brand-new Risk Management Safety Guidelines on disk at next week’s Federal Markets Conference in Washington, D.C. These guidelines contain all of the information necessary to help a firm immediately implement a health and safety plan.
"Having a health and safety program sends a strong message about your firm’s commitment to the well-being of each employee," said James Suttle, executive vice president of HDR Engineering and vice-chair of ACEC’s Risk Management Committee.
To order this important resource, contact Rina Lee at ACEC, (publications@acec.org, 202-682-4332).
Proposal Magic
Do you know how to write a successful proposal? If not, the 2002 edition of Proposals: On Target, On Time is your blueprint for preparing winning proposals that make the best and smartest use of your resources. To order this hot new publication, go to www.acec.org/publications (publication W-415-01) or contact Rina Lee (publications@acec.org, 202-682-4332).
Only Five Seats Left For SEI VII
There are only five seats left in SEI VII, the two-year leadership and management training program for design professionals. The SEI network currently includes more than 125 graduates from 74 member firms in 35 states. SEI VII begins in September.
Several insurance companies offer financial incentives to policyholders for participation in SEI. For example, RA&MCO is offering $2,000 scholarships to its first five qualified policyholders to enroll in SEI VII. In addition, the company will provide an insurance premium credit of up to 5 percent when quoting terms to a firm that successfully completes the program.
For more information on SEI VII, call Maria Galvan at 202-347-7474 or e-mail her at mgalvan@acec.org.
Project Management Training: Closer Than You Think
Online courses cost one-third less than off-site classroom training,
consume half the time, and allow you to take the course in the comfort of
your own office. ACEC, in conjunction with SmartPros.com, now provides
online courses to all engineering firms and individuals embracing distance
learning. View a full list of available courses at http://knowledge.smartpros.com/
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EPA Head Whitman Joins All-Star Lineup For CCD/EEA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman will be joining ACEC the evening of March 12 to honor the 2002 Engineering Excellence Award (EEA) winners.House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) will be the keynote speaker at ACEC’s Consulting Congress Day (CCD) luncheon. Congress will soon be considering legislation to restore proposed cuts in transportation funding (see related article, below), and Chairman Young is leading this important effort. Nationally recognized political analyst Charlie Cook will also address the CCD luncheon. On March 13, ACEC/PAC’s Millennium Club will hear: Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas); Rep. Roy Blunt, the incoming House majority whip; and House Government Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton (R-Ind.) at a luncheon at the Capitol Hill Club. Other friends of ACEC, Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) and Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.), will also be stopping by. Iowa Adopts New Name To Meet "Strong Business Interests" Of Members This week Iowa became the 23rd MO to adopt the new name and national standard, joining Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Washington, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. In addition, six more MOs are in the process of changing their names, and others are considering doing the same.
Subcommittee Looks At FLSA Reform–Key Issue For ACEC The House Workforce Protection Subcommittee held a hearing this week on one of ACEC’s top legislative priorities: reform of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). ACEC’s bill (H.R. 3678) was introduced last month by Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to clarify the exemption from the minimum wage and overtime compensation requirements of the Act for certain engineering and design professionals. ACEC Chairman Steve Goddard commended the members of the subcommittee, noting that the hearing is "much needed and long overdue, and a positive step in re-engaging members of Congress about the obvious need to take a hard look at updating the Fair Labor Standards Act to catch up with today’s evolving workforce." ACEC President Dave Raymond added that, "Congress needs to take action on reforms to the Fair Labor Standards Act to protect companies from unfair enforcement actions." ACEC Lauds Price Anderson Final Passage In a big win for ACEC members, the Senate passed an amendment to reauthorize the Price Anderson Act this week by a vote of 78 to 21. The House passed legislation reauthorizing the Act—which limits the liability of companies entering the nuclear cleanup business in the unlikely event of an accident—last November (see Last Word, Nov. 30). As a result of the Senate’s action, Price-Anderson renewal has been added to the Senate’s comprehensive energy policy bill (S. 517) currently being debated on the Senate floor. However, the energy bill could easily stall because of controversial issues related to drilling in Alaska and fuel economy standards. If that happens, Price-Anderson appears to be well positioned to move as a freestanding bill or as part of other legislation. Thanks to the ACEC members who responded to this week’s legislative alert on the Senate’s Energy bill and reauthorization of the Price Anderson Act. The alert generated more than 100 letters to 54 senators from 27 states. ACEC Leads Efforts To Restore Federal Transportation Funding ACEC’s grassroots effort to secure cosponsors for H.R. 3694 and S. 1917, bipartisan legislation to restore highway funding for 2003, continues to build steam. As of March 6, 279 cosponsors had signed on to cosponsor H.R. 3694 and 35 senators had been secured as cosponsors for S. 1917. The administration’s budget proposal allocates $24.1 billion for FHWA, including $23.2 billion for the Federal-Aid Highway Obligation Limitation, which is $4.4 billion below the funding level authorized in TEA-21 for F.Y. 2003, and $8.6 billion below the actual F.Y. 2002 funding level. The reduction in funding is due to the fact that gas tax receipts are expected to fall nearly $5 billion short of original estimates in 2003. Congress could take up a budget resolution as early as next week, but more pressure is needed to secure the votes necessary to win the fight. Securing additional cosponsors for the two bills in the days ahead sends a strong message to the leadership in the House and the Senate to restore transportation funding. Click on these lists of House and Senate cosponsors. If your representative and senators aren’t on these lists, send this letter to help secure their support for this important legislation.
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