Good News And Not So Good News In President's Proposed Budget President Bush's 2006 budget submission to Congress includes some notable funding increases, including a sizable increase in his request for the next six-year highway bill. The budget includes significant cuts as well, setting the stage for a tough budget season as Congress begins to evaluate priorities for the coming year. On the plus side, the President's budget provides for $284 billion in guaranteed highway and transit funding over the next six years as part of the reauthorization of TEA-21. This represents a significant increase over his 2004 request of $256 billion, and brings the Administration closer to the funding level floated by congressional leaders at the end of last year. "The President's request still may not be enough to satisfy the competing needs of the states," said ACEC President Dave Raymond. "But it's encouraging that we now have a much higher starting point that Congress can work with as we drive towards a final bill." The request proposes an increase for brownfields clean-up, from $164 million in '05 to $210 million in '06, and the Superfund program would receive a slight increase from the $1.27 billion allocated this year to $1.3 billion. The Millennium Challenge Account, the Administration's new foreign assistance initiative designed to provide targeted aid, including infrastructure, to poor countries that are committed to democratic government and free market economies, received a significant increase in funding from $1.5 billion in '05 to $3 billion in the President's budget for '06. Budget cuts fall heavy in other areas. The budget request includes $3 billion for airport construction grants, a $500 million decrease from the 2005 funding level. While funding for drinking water projects was boosted slightly from the current level of $843 million, funding for wastewater projects will be reduced significantly to $730 million from the current level of $1.1 billion. Funding for the Department of Energy's Environmental Management program also would fall to $6.5 billion in 2006 from the current $7.6 billion. The President's budget cuts funding for the Corps of Engineers by 14 percent, for a total of $4.3 billion in 2006. The budget proposes to cut a number of projects, including high profile navigation projects added by Congress in recent years. The President's budget provides approximately $12 billion for military construction programs and family housing, including $4.2 billion for the housing account that maintains funding from the '05 level. "The President's budget submission is just the first step in a long process," said Raymond. "But it does mean that we have work to do to protect and enhance our key industry priorities." For more detailed information on the President's 2006 budget proposal, click here.

TEA-21 Reauthorization Bill Introduced In House The Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Don Young, introduced a TEA-21 reauthorization bill on Wednesday that includes $284 billion in guaranteed spending for highways and transit, a 42 percent increase over the current TEA-21 program. His legislation also includes a "re-opener" provision that would cut off the flow of transportation funds after two years to allow Congress to revisit and possibly increase the funding level, although this provision provoked a veto threat from the Bush Administration last year. Young's legislation stills leaves open the question of total contract authority, which was set at $299 billion during last year's negotiations, as well as the issue of a "minimum guarantee" for each state (the minimum percentage return each state receives based on its contributions to the highway trust fund). These issues will likely be addressed as the House and Senate go to conference to work out a final compromise. Young has indicated his intention to move the package through the committee within the next few weeks, and to complete floor consideration and go to conference by mid-March. Click here for a summary of Young's reauthorization package prepared by the staff of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Consulting Congress Day: Now More Than Ever This year's Consulting Congress Day (CCD) will be critical to ACEC's efforts to urge Congress and the Bush administration to complete a six-year reauthorization bill with as much funding for highways and transit as quickly as possible. This is a major priority for the Council when its "citizen lobbyists" come to Washington for the Annual Convention April 10-13 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington D.C. Any ACEC firm that does transportation work will be affected by this legislation-and should attend CCD activities April 12-13, as billions of dollars in new business are at stake. For the first time ever, CCD is combined with the Engineering Excellence Awards, the Federal Markets Conference and the Annual Convention, into one dynamic event. Great seats are still available for this year's 2005 Engineering Excellence Awards Gala honoring America's greatest engineering achievements of the past year, Monday evening, April 11 at the Grand Hyatt. Bring your clients and reward your top achievers. Individual tickets and table sponsorships are still available. Visit www.acec.org for detailed registration information, call 202-347-7474, or email meetings@acec.org.

Former ACEC Chairman Bob Hogan Dies; Champion Of ACEC Over Many Years Robert E. Hogan Former ACEC Chairman Robert E. Hogan, who headed the Council in 1988-1989, died January 28 in Texas. He was 74. A native of Terrell, Texas, Hogan served in many state and national leadership positions and was elected to the ACEC College of Fellows in 1987. Former ACEC Chairman Dan DeYoung, who served on Bob Hogan's Executive Committee and attended Hogan's funeral, said, "Bob was a great cheerleader for ACEC at a critical time in the organization's development." Bob and his wife Patricia have been frequent participants in ACEC's conventions over the years, most recently in Colorado Springs in May 2004 (see picture below). ACEC will pay respects to Hogan with a moment of silence at the upcoming National Board Meeting in Washington this spring.

Bob Hogan and his wife Patricia (far left) at the Past Chairman's Dinner at the ACEC Annual Convention in Colorado Springs in May of 2004. Also pictured from left: Jim and Kaye Thomas, Eric and Gerry Ann Flicker, Steve Goddard, Dorothy and Don Trim, Jackie and Dan DeYoung, and Molly and Dave Raymond.

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