Wil Shriner, Director Of T.V.'s Frasier Brings Hollywood Pizzazz To EEA Gala Wil Shriner, host of ACEC's 40th EEA Gala in May. Wil Shriner, noted actor, director and comedian will host ACEC's 40th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, Tuesday, May 2, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington. Shriner has numerous television directing credits including episodes of NBC's Frasier; CBS's Becker; ABC's My Wife and Kids, and the WB's Raising Dad, Norm, Married to the Kellys, Two Guys and a Girl, Ladies Man, along with the season finale of Everybody Loves Raymond. He has appeared in several movies including the Oscar-nominated Peggy Sue Got Married, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The black-tie Gala, known industry-wide as the "Academy Awards" of engineering, will recognize 163 engineering achievements from across the nation. Twenty-four projects will be honored for special achievement—including the "Grand Conceptor Award" for the best overall engineering effort. Robert Kersten: pro-national licensure Another Convention highlight will be an open debate on national licensure at the Town Hall Meeting, Monday, May 1. Robert Kersten, founding dean of the College of Engineering, University of Central Florida, will argue the advantages of one national license, while Craig Musselman, president, CMA Engineers in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, will assert the status quo merits of individual state licenses. The open discussion will ultimately help determine ACEC's position on the issue. The Convention also features top-quality education programs addressing important engineering business challenges, CEO Roundtables and Professional Business Forums. Click here to view Convention registration information.

Anti-Contractor Legislation Re-Introduced David Greenwood, chairman of ACEC's Federal Agencies Liaison Committee Once again legislation has been introduced in the Senate that would make it harder for federal agencies to contract with engineering firms, and once again ACEC is poised to defeat it. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) has introduced the "Honest Leadership and Accountability in Contracting Act of 2006" (S.2361), which seeks to renew support for so-called "blacklisting" rules. Under the legislation, contractors could be barred from federal work based on an allegation that the firm violated federal tax, labor and employment, environmental, antitrust and consumer protection laws. The Dorgan bill also includes new restrictions on how federal agencies may contract with private firms, including restrictions on hiring firms to assist federal agencies with contract administration oversight and other functions. ACEC and its industry allies successfully repelled imposition of the blacklisting rule previously. "This is inappropriate public policy and contrary to the established legal principle that you are innocent until proven guilty," said David Greenwood, chairman of ACEC's Federal Agencies Liaison Committee. "Any group or individual with an agenda could make an allegation against a firm, which would effectively prevent the firm from competing for government contracts." The Council has once again joined with a number of business organizations to fight the Dorgan bill, which may be offered in whole or in part as an amendment to future appropriations bills.

ACEC Briefs Military, Federal Officials On QBS, Industry Environmental Priorities ACEC participated in a special briefing of senior military and federal agency personnel this week as part of a National Defense University (NDU) program. Steve Hall, ACEC's Vice President for Government Affairs, conducted the session, which included an overview of the Council and the engineering industry, as well as presentations on the benefits of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) and major environmental issues currently before Congress. The interactive session also covered public policy challenges related to water and wastewater investment, environmental regulations (including wetlands and the Endangered Species Act), and other issues facing engineering firms and their public and private sector clients. Located at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C., NDU is the primary center for joint professional military education designed to prepare armed services and civilian leaders for addressing national and international security challenges.

Environmental Committee Expands To Include Energy Issues: Kick-Off Conference Set for April ACEC's Environmental Business Committee (EBC) is expanding its scope to incorporate energy issues to further promote the Council's advocacy efforts in this important market sector. ACEC has been heavily engaged in energy-related issues over the past several years, culminating with the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The expanded committee, which will be called the Environment and Energy Committee (EEC), will play an important role in developing key policy positions on a range of new issues, including nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas, alternative and renewable fuels, as well as related hazardous waste and environmental issues. Incoming Committee Chairman Paul Grosser notes that the "energy sector is becoming increasingly important for ACEC member firms, and major clients are expressing an interest in energy issues." Grosser added that the committee will continue to focus on the core environmental issues that have traditionally been under the committee's jurisdiction. ACEC firms that do work in the energy or environmental arena are encouraged to join the Committee. A committee conference call is planned for Wednesday, April 12 at 2pm EST to discuss energy issues of importance to the committee. For more information on the Committee or to participate in the call, contact Erin Lehner with ACEC at 202-347-7474 or elehner@acec.org.

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