Hundreds Of "Citizen Lobbyists" Set To Converge On Capitol Hill During Convention A strong contingent of ACEC members will engage in a major lobbying effort in Washington D.C. next week as part of the 2007 Annual Convention. Increased funding for critical water infrastructure and restoring the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund will be among the critical issues that hundreds of ACEC "citizen lobbyists" will address during visits with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "These issues are vital to our industry's future," said ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett. "The Annual Convention in Washington is the engineering industry's premier grassroots advocacy event, and we plan to present our views to Congress with a unified voice." Other issues ACEC members will take to their Congressional offices include addressing the growing shortage of engineers through expansion of the H-1B visa program, and enhancing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. ACEC has prepared fact sheets on each of the key issues to be presented to House and Senate members. To access the fact sheets, click here. The Convention will feature a briefing Tuesday morning on the Council's primary lobbying objectives, and a series of training sessions where participants play the role of Congressional members to better understand how lawmakers stake out positions on important issues.

Important ACEC Online Professional Liability Survey Set To Begin ACEC's Professional Liability Survey of member firms for fiscal year 2006 will be conducted online beginning Thursday, May 10 through Friday, May 25. The annual survey collects information on member firms' professional liability insurance, their claims experience, and the impact of the threat of litigation. An email with a link to the survey will be distributed to key member firm contacts on May 10. "This information is crucial to determining the professional liability insurance landscape which our members must address, and provides important data for our tort reform efforts in Congress," said Greg Sauter, executive vice president of DMJM+Harris and chairman of the ACEC Risk Management Committee. "I strongly encourage each member firm's headquarters office to participate in the survey." Member firms that respond to the survey will receive a free electronic copy of the complete results upon request. An electronic copy of the survey results can also be downloaded after purchase through the ACEC Bookstore. A summary of the survey results will be published in the July/August 2007 issue of Engineering Inc.

ACEC-Backed Good Samaritan Bill Introduced In House; Offers Engineers Disaster Immunity Bipartisan legislation was introduced this week that will provide Good Samaritan protection for engineers who volunteer their services after a major disaster. The ACEC-backed "Good Samaritan Protection for Construction, Architectural, and Engineering Volunteers Act" (H.R. 2067) seeks to give architectural, engineering and construction companies qualified immunity from liability when providing services or equipment on a volunteer basis in response to a declared emergency or disaster. Engineering firms continue to face the threat of lawsuits stemming from voluntary efforts under difficult conditions in the aftermath of disasters such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. The bill was introduced by Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA). House members also signed on as cosponsors are: Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT), Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), and Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA). "Design professionals have been the target of escalating lawsuits over the past decade by claimants and trial lawyers who see their professional liability insurance policies as a source of case settlement funding without regard to the merits of the action," said Nicholas Wieczorek of Morris Polich Purdy in Nevada. "In this environment, engineering companies seeking to be good citizens and help out in times of crisis or disaster can have second thoughts because of the threat of potential claims." ACEC members are urged to fax letters to their House members asking them to cosponsor H.R. 2067. Click here for a sample letter and click here for a fax contact list of Members of Congress by state.

U.S. Chamber Appoints Raymond To Association Committee Of 100 ACEC President Dave Raymond ACEC President Dave Raymond has been appointed to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Association Committee of 100 comprised of the nation's leading association chief executives who provide advice to the Chamber's Board and help coordinate national lobbying efforts. "The Association Committee of 100 is one of the most prestigious appointments in the association community," said Bill Miller, the chamber's senior vice president for political and federal programs. "This selection is testament to Raymond's leadership and standing among association executives. The chamber is proud to be associated with such an outstanding business leader." The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation and represents more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

Project Management For Project Leaders Course With Northwestern University June 11-12 ACEC's Institute for Business Management will present the 2007 edition of Project Management for Project Leaders, an unparalleled two-day course in state-of-the-art project leadership, co-sponsored with the Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, June 11-12, Evanston, IL. This highly focused immersion course will introduce new management skills and techniques critical for keeping pace with complexities in pre-design, design, construction and beyond. The course will feature six recognized experts and instructors specializing in various phases of the project management process from inception to owner turnover. Participants will take an integrated approach to design and construction project management, developing a project business case from the owner perspective, and transitioning to the point of view of pre-design project management. The course carries 16 PDHs. Click here for more information and to register.

Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities Highlights ACEC Summer Course Schedule Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities July 16-19                   Denver, CO In partnership with Colorado State University, and on location at CSU's Denver Center, ACEC will present Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities, July 16-19, as a Summer Institute certificate program. The course will systematically lay out the complex interdisciplinary challenges of real-world sustainability problems, demonstrate key environmental planning and design processes, and showcase actual applications of integrated engineering. Click here for more information and to register.

Upcoming Online Seminars The Seven Hidden Reasons Employees Leave… And Stay May 16, 1:30-3 p.m.                   1.5 PDHs Leigh Branham, Advanced Management Institute, reviews the real reasons employees leave, noting that almost 90 percent of exiting employees say they left because of "push factors" related to management practices. Click here for more information and to register. The Critical Case for Defending Qualifications-Based Selection May 22, 1:30-3 p.m.                   1.5 PDHs Jeff Beard, ACEC vice president, Institute for Business Management; Roger Jordan, ACEC director of state legislative programs; and Kurt Corey, director of public works, City of Eugene, Ore., will examine the numerous benefits of using Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) including: Firsthand account from a public owner about the merits of using QBS; Why QBS benefits owners and dramatically improves the delivery of a successful project compared to projects that are low-bid; Analysis of the QBS process, from the solicitation through contract negotiations; The pros and cons of various alternative delivery systems and best practices for infusing QBS into alternative delivery procurements; Insights about a new ACEC study on QBS; Resources to guide owners through the QBS process. Click here for more information and to register.

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