"Plenty Of Opportunity" For Small Businesses Offered By Department Of Homeland Security Alan Shepherd (far right) discusses business opportunities with Homeland Security during a recent Market Forecast meeting at ACEC headquarters. Business Procurement Consultant Alan J. Shepherd, says numerous opportunities await small engineering firms at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). During a recent Market Forecast Series meeting, Shepherd provided strategic and tactical insight for small firms interested in doing business with DHS. Last year DHS procured over $1 billion in goods and services, of which 40 percent was awarded to small businesses. Shepherd gave a brief overview of each of the four DHS areas of interest: Emergency Preparedness and Response; Science and Technology; Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection; and Management; and the opportunities available for small businesses. Shepherd also advised attendees how to market their services to DHS through matchmaking events, and how to identify larger prime contractors that offer subcontracting opportunities to small businesses through SBA's Subnet website, http://web.sba.gov/subnet/. Information contained on the DHS website can assist small businesses that wish to contract with the Department. Click here to access the DHS Small Business Procurement Assistance website.

ACEC/PAC Trustees Set Aggressive $500,000 Fundraising Goal For '04; KY, NE, Starting Strong ACEC/PAC Chairman Ed Parrone Trustees for ACEC/PAC have adopted an aggressive fundraising goal of $500,000 for 2004 to help support the Council's legislative agenda in Congress. To help achieve the goal, each State Organization has been assigned specific fundraising targets, based on membership strength. "If ACEC is going to win fights in Congress that will protect engineering jobs and create business opportunities for engineering firms, the right people must be elected to the House and Senate—it's that simple," said ACEC/PAC Chairman Ed Parrone of New York. The chart to the left details each state's fundraising activity to date. A number of states are making strong progress, including Kentucky and Nebraska, toward achieving their 2004 goal. In addition to dollars raised for the PAC, the new Chairman's Club has added additional financial resources to support the Council's legislative agenda. The Chairman's Club is ACEC/PAC's premier donor club, made up of ACEC members throughout the country who are politically active at the state and federal level. Chairman's Club members have already participated in successful events with the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and other important Congressional leaders to promote key ACEC legislative priorities. For more information regarding the Chairman's Club or on donating to ACEC/PAC, contact ACEC/PAC Director Jenny Sheffield at 202-347-7474 or jsheffield@acec.org.

Projected $10 Billion Corps Water Bill To Move In Senate The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee plans to introduce a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill later this month that is expected to include an unprecedented level of funding for water infrastructure projects. The biennial WRDA legislation, which authorizes funding for Army Corps of Engineers flood control, navigation and environmental restoration projects, will likely be between $8 billion and $10 billion, close to double the $4.6 billion version approved by the House last fall (H.R. 2557). The Senate bill will include authorizations for several large projects that have come into play after the House approved its bill, including navigation and ecosystem restoration for the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and restoration of the Louisiana coast and the Everglades. In related news, ACEC and a number of industry allies, including the Association of Metropolitan Sewage Agencies and Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, have urged House and Senate VA-HUD appropriators to increase the appropriated amounts for the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF programs to $3.2 billion and $2 billion respectively, a total increase of $3.5 billion over the Administration's request. In a letter to key House and Senator members, the coalition stressed the need for the increased funding, which "will help local communities meet water quality standards, protect public health, repair and replace old and decaying pipelines and treatment plants, and ensure continued progress in restoring the health and safety of America's water bodies." Click here to view a copy of the coalition letter.

Health Plan Legislation Passes House; Garners Democratic Co-Sponsor in Senate Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) The House of Representatives passed the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2004 for the second time during this Congress, highlighting the need for affordable health care options for America's businesses. ACEC has been a long-time advocate of the legislation, which would create more opportunities for businesses to pool together across state lines through trade associations to purchase health insurance from a provider, or self-insure in the same manner as that of large employers and labor unions. ACEC currently offers its members the benefits of an Association Health Plan (AHP), but individual state regulations at times hamper its effectiveness. The bill would create uniform regulations for all states and allow firms of all sizes to be covered. AHP legislation also has been strongly endorsed by President Bush and has enjoyed bipartisan support in the House, but Senate Democrats have historically stalled its progress. However, Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) recently became the first Democratic co-sponsor of the Senate bill, paving the way for broader bipartisan support. "This proposal is one step that can be taken to open health care coverage to more Americans. It is not the be-all, end-all, solution, but this legislation would help to move us toward a goal that we all share, namely, to have as few uninsured Americans as possible," Byrd said.

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