Industry Considers Next Step To Expand H-1B Visa Program ACEC and other business groups are exploring new options for implementing much needed reforms to the nation's H-1B visa and employee-based green card programs, in the wake of failed efforts in the Senate to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. While much of the debate over the legislation focused on issues related to amnesty and border security, ACEC has been focused on less controversial provisions that seek to boost the number of H-1B visas available each year to recruit skilled engineering professionals from abroad. The failed package included ACEC-supported provisions to increase the number of H-1B visas from 65,000 to 115,000 per year, plus provide additional exemptions for U.S. graduate degree holders and graduate degree holders from foreign universities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Efforts might be made in the House of Representatives to move a separate immigration reform package, which could provide an additional vehicle for H-1B expansion. ACEC will also push for stand-alone legislation to expand the H-1B program.

California, Colorado, Michigan Lead The Way In QBS Study Response ACEC-member firms are providing critical data for the ongoing ACEC-commissioned university research initiative on Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS). Member firms from 15 states have so far contributed to the study, with California, Colorado, and Michigan supplying data from the greatest number of projects, and with Texas close behind. Additional responses from all states are essential for providing the data base needed for a credible study. ACEC is strongly encouraging members to participate in this study. Continued state and federal challenges to QBS make it imperative that the advantages of QBS to both owner and practitioner are effectively documented. Members can submit information to the research effort by clicking here. The process takes only a few minutes, and all information will remain strictly confidential. "QBS is one of the cornerstones of our industry, and our members should support the effort to gather this important empirical evidence," said ACEC President Dave Raymond. "The study is timely, given the challenges to QBS we are witnessing in the states and at the federal level." Each Member Organization has been given a target number of projects for response. Click here to view state-by-state goals. Colorado University Professor Paul Chinowsky, who is leading the research effort, is available to answer questions about the study at paul.chinowsky@colorado.edu. Further information is available by contacting Steve Hall, ACEC's vice president of Government Affairs at shall@acec.org, or Jeffrey Beard, ACEC's vice president of Business Affairs at jbeard@acec.org, both can be reached at 202-347-7474.

Energy Bills On The Move In Congress Both the House and Senate are moving forward on energy legislation, with the expectation that a comprehensive package will emerge by the end of the year. In June, the Senate approved an energy bill that focuses on efficiency and renewable energy sources. On the House side, 10 committees are contributing to a "summer energy package" that will consolidate the pieces into one or two omnibus bills, which will likely reach the floor by early August. Tax credits and incentives for "green" projects are expected to be a key part of the House package. The House Ways and Means Committee has approved language that provides incentives for the development of energy efficient products and alternative energy technologies. It also authorizes $6 billion in two new types of municipal tax-exempt bonds—Clean Renewable Energy Bonds and Clean Energy Coal Bonds—that state and local governments could use for various energy efficiency and alternative energy projects, and extends private sector tax deductions for energy efficient buildings and alternative energy sources. Efforts in the Senate to adopt similar tax incentives came up short in the face of opposition over efforts to offset the costs of this deduction by raising taxes on oil and gas production. The Senate-passed bill mandates that refineries produce 36 billion gallons of alternative fuels by 2022—with 15 billion gallons to come from corn-based ethanol and 21 billion gallons to be "advanced" biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol. The measure also increases corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for cars and light truck to 35 miles per gallon. The House may take up these issues later in the year. The Senate bill also requires the federal government to purchase 15 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015, and seeks to promote energy-savings programs in public buildings. "These provisions will foster and expand emerging markets for renewable and alternative energy sources," said ACEC's Energy Subcommittee Co-Chair Timothy Corrigan with R.W. Beck, Inc. "Our experience in these markets and our expertise with state and local governments, as well as private sector clients, puts us in a unique position to take advantage of these opportunities."

Fall Online Seminars A Mix Of Favorites, New Hot Topics ACEC's calendar of fall online seminars is nearly complete, and registration is open for a timely mix of important topics and perennial favorites. Sessions are presented in the popular 1-1/2-hour online interactive format and participants may earn PDHs. Registration is for a single computer connection and covers one participant or a roomful, and is now open for the following seminars: AUGUST August 8—Mastering the Critical Steps of the Business Development Process, Kevin Hackney, MBDi Click here for details and to register. August 15—Risk Management Considerations for Green Buildings, Tim Corbett, A/E SmartRisk Click here for details and to register. August 21—Design and Delivery: Using Technology for Better Teamwork, Diane Li, Autodesk Click here for details and to register. SEPTEMBER September 5—International Employment Solutions for the 21st Century, Jim Lyon, Lyon Associates, Inc. Click here for details and to register. September 11—Unallowable Costs: Government Contract Law for Non-Lawyers, David Dempsey, Holland & Knight Click here for details and to register. September 12—rcep.net: The NCEES/ACEC Nationwide Portal to Continuing Education for Engineers, Jill Holcomb, ACEC and Erin Carroll, NCEES Click here for details and to register. OCTOBER October 2—Developing and Implementing Winning Business Strategies for Engineers, Architects and Construction Companies, Clare Ross, The Clare Ross Organization Click here for details and to register. October 3—Pandemic Flu-Implications for Your Firm and Your Clients, Daniel Barnett, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Click here for details and to register. October 16—How to Plan Your Project More Effectively, Gary Bates, Roenker, Bates Group Click here for details and to register. October 24—Project Life Cycle Cost Estimation Methods, Joseph Phelan, Info Tech, Inc. Click here for details and to register. October 30—ISO9001 Myths and Realities: A Proven Common Sense Approach to Building a Quality System That Works, Jim Klug, CTE Engineers and Albert Egreczky, KEMA Click here for details and to register. October 31—Failed Dams and Levees: Examining Engineering Liability, Edward A. Thomas, Esq., Michael Baker Corp. Click here for details and to register.

Copyright © 2007 by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photographic, or other means without the prior written permission of ACEC.

Click here to review past editions of the Last Word.

Click here to subscribe to the Last Word.