Jesse Ventura Adds To The Magic At ACEC's 2005 Fall Conference In Orlando Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura, who first rocked the sports entertainment world as a professional wrestler, then shocked the political world when he was elected Governor of Minnesota, will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Fall Convention, September 21-24, 2005 at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Now a vocal advocate of grassroots movements, Ventura will discuss how to "buck the system and change the world" at the Headliner Luncheon on Friday, September 23. He joins an impressive lineup that includes Four-Star General Barry McCaffrey, who will discuss "Leadership in the 21st Century" at the Keynote Luncheon on Thursday, September 22. Attendees to the Fall Conference also will experience the premier business Conference of the A/E/C industry at one of the world's most enchanting resorts. The Conference features 35 cutting edge business education sessions, along with exciting social activities. Save with a special group discount by registering several members from your firm for this year's Conference. Save also when you register online at www.acec.org. Make reservations at either the Yacht Club or Beach Club Resort. Room rates are $189 single or double occupancy. The group rate is only available by calling 407-934 -3372 and referencing ACEC. Click here to view Conference details and updates. Further information is available by contacting the ACEC Meetings & Conventions Department at 202-347-7474 or email meetings@acec.org.

House Committee Boosts Highway, Transit Spending To Record Levels for 2006 The House Appropriations Committee approved its F.Y. 2006 transportation spending bill this week that will provide record levels of funding for highways, transit and aviation. The Committee proposes $36.3 billion in highway spending for F.Y. 2006, a $1.9 billion increase over F.Y. 2005 levels. An additional $739 million in mandatory spending brings highway funding to just over $37 billion next year. Federal Transit Administration funding is proposed at $8.5 billion, an $800 million increase over F.Y. 2005. The Committee rejected a $500 million cut to airport infrastructure spending proposed by the Bush Administration, and provided $6 billion in airport improvement program funding. Spending for Amtrak is slashed from $1.2 billion this year to $550 million in F.Y. 2006, and the Committee proposes closing down long–distance routes that lose more than $30 per passenger on trips. The full House of Representatives is tentatively scheduled to consider the bill next week. Senate action on the bill has not yet been scheduled.

ACEC Testifies On Size Standards John Woods of Woods-Peacock Engineering Consultants, Inc., Alexandria, Va. John Woods, a principal at ACEC member firm Woods-Peacock Engineering Consultants, Inc. in Alexandria, Va., testified last Friday at a Small Business Administration (SBA) hearing regarding the agency's ongoing efforts to restructure the size standard for small engineering firms. The hearing was one in a series that SBA is hosting around the country during June to obtain feedback from business owners. Federal agencies use size standards to determine the eligibility of firms for small business programs and federal contracts. Last year, SBA proposed to change the current engineering firm size standard of $4 million or less in gross receipts to a new standard of 50 employees or fewer and a cap of $7 million in annual gross receipts. In the face of strong opposition from ACEC and other industry organizations, SBA withdrew its proposal and vowed to work closer with industry groups to develop alternatives. Woods continued to outline ACEC's position that implementing two size standard tests for engineering services is burdensome and unnecessary, and that only a gross receipts-based size standard should be retained. ACEC also recommended that the current size standard of $4 million should be periodically adjusted to account for inflation, and also that SBA should consider options that would allow firms that have grown beyond the size standard to continue to qualify as small businesses for a limited time. "The current system for determining a small business in our industry is fair and effective, yet SBA's initial proposal would have only complicated the process," said Woods. "SBA should be commended for exploring other options based on our concerns."

FHWA Official Discusses Public/Private Partnerships At June Market Forecast Series Event Representatives from four State Organizations and more than 50 ACEC members participated in a June 14 Market Forecast Series event to discuss initiatives to promote more public/private partnerships in building and financing highway projects. D.J. Gribbin, the chief counsel at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), outlined how current federal rules and regulations often inhibit private sector involvement in transportation projects. He noted however, that FHWA has numerous programs underway to facilitate public/private partnerships, including the SEP-15 program to promote innovative delivery techniques to accelerate highway projects. The Bush Administration is also supporting enhanced tolling authority and $15 billion in private activity bonds to further leverage available dollars for transportation improvements. "Not only did we hear from FHWA's chief counsel about innovative contracting, we received an up-to-the-minute overview of the transportation authorization bill. It is great to see how effective ACEC's lobbying has been on this vital issue," said Carey Brand of CH2M Hill in St. Louis. Click here for more information on FHWA's public/private partnership program.

Costly Accidents? ACEC Business Insurance Trust Survey Seeking Answers Have you or any of your employees ever been in an automobile accident while conducting business for your firm? Have you or any of your employees ever been injured while working? Has a member of the general public ever been hurt while on your premises? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you have valuable first-hand knowledge of how costly these situations can be. The ACEC Business Insurance Trust (BIT) encourages the participation of all ACEC member firms in a survey to be distributed next week that will explore the non-professional liability risk exposures currently faced by members. Understanding the loss control measures that have been utilized in the past and that are currently in use are primary survey objectives. With the results, the BIT hopes to raise awareness of safety at the firm level and work with industry experts to reduce insurance-related losses. The survey package will be mailed to the home office of each ACEC member firm during the week of June 27th. The package will contain the brief 16-question survey that takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Responses should be returned by July 15th. Details on how to return the survey will be included in the survey package. The ACEC Business Insurance Trust (BIT) oversees a program that provides business insurance and professional liability insurance (PLI). The program brand is "The ProShop." The business insurance underwriter is The Hartford, and the plan administrator is Marsh USA Inc. Marsh offers a choice of underwriters for the PLI coverage.

Focus On High-Risk Terrorism Targets Needed, California Congressman Tells TISP Members Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-CA) Congressman Daniel E. Lungren (R-CA) says targets around the nation which are at the highest-risk of a terrorist attack should be prioritized so resources are not spread too thin. Lungren, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, was the featured speaker at the recent Breakfast Speaker Series sponsored by The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP). He stressed the importance of a rational risk-based approach to homeland security and increased information sharing between federal, state and local governments and the private sector. Lungren's subcommittee recently held a hearing on security regulations for chemical facilities. "The goal is to prioritize high-risk targets and seek what is possible," he said. TISP, of which ACEC is a founding and steering committee member, hosts the Breakfast Speaker Series to provide educational and networking opportunities with leading public and private sector experts discussing the latest developments in security, public policy, and technological advances related to critical domestic infrastructure security and protection. The TISP Breakfast Speaker Series will resume on September 30 with Lt. General Carl Strock, Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers, as the featured speaker. For more information on TISP and the upcoming 4th Annual Congress on Infrastructure for the Built Environment (ISBE) in Jacksonville, FL, October 18-20, please visit their website: www.tisp.org.

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