With budgets on the Congressional chopping block, ACEC Citizen Lobbyists are coming to the ACEC Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., March 30—April 2, to advocate for robust federal investment in our nation’s transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, and for repeal of the 3 percent withholding and Form 1099 mandates.

The Convention falls at a pivotal juncture in the budget debates raging on Capitol Hill, providing an important opportunity for ACEC members to make their voices heard.

For more information about the ACEC Convention, click here.

The House this week passed legislation (H.R. 662) to extend federal surface transportation programs authorized under SAFETEA-LU through September 30, 2011.

The Senate is expected to act quickly on the bill, which will prevent the cutoff of federal transportation funding to the states.

ACEC was active in building the support necessary for passage. “ACEC members did a great job in connecting with their representatives,” said ACEC President Dave Raymond. “Support for an expanded new federal program to replace SAFETEA-LU will be a core theme for our grassroots lobbying effort during the Annual Convention.”

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

ACEC/PAC will host a reception for Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) on March 30, during the upcoming Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.

As chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal procurement policy, Rep. Issa recently asked the Council to identify federal regulations that hamper economic growth. Click here to see ACEC’s response.

For more information on the event, contact Greg Knopp at gknopp@acec.org.

The House of Representatives is expected to approve legislation this week to repeal a new tax requirement that would dramatically expand the circumstances under which companies would be required to file IRS Form 1099s.

ACEC has been active in opposition to the 1099 mandate, which will require that businesses file 1099s for purchases of both goods and services valued at more than $600 annually from any vendor.

The Senate has already passed 1099 repeal language as an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill. The two chambers must still reach agreement on how to offset the costs of the repeal.

Senior House and Senate committee staff briefed ACEC’s Environment and Energy Committee on pending water infrastructure issues, indicating possible action on new legislation later in the year.

In addition, Barry Worthington, executive director of the United States Energy Association, provided an overview of energy markets and the implications for transmission line development, and representatives from EPA outlined potential federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing and nutrient trading. Chris Cheatham, who writes for the national blog Green Building Law Update, briefed attendees on green building codes and litigation risks.

“The presentations and insights I learned on water and energy markets were of tremendous value to my firm’s practice,” said Robert Briggs of STV Incorporated. “Firms engaged in these markets are missing out if they fail to take advantage of these opportunities.”

For more information or to join the Environment and Energy Committee, contact Diane Shea, director of environmental & energy advocacy, at 202-347-7474 or dshea@acec.org.

Cost competition was the primary business concern of almost three-quarters of the respondents to a recent member survey by ACEC’s Council of American Structural Engineers (CASE).

Reductions in personnel and working more hours for less money were also major concerns.

CASE surveyed its 169 Member Firms in preparation for an upcoming strategic planning session to set the future direction of the organization.

“CASE is all about the business of structural engineering and the bottom line,” said CASE Chairman John Mercer. “All ACEC firms providing structural services should become active participants in CASE to achieve the full benefits of their membership.”

Amy Canfield, AECOM

Amy Canfield, a transportation engineer at AECOM in Middleton, Wis., is one of 14 young engineers from across the nation recently recognized in a National Engineers Week USA Today advertisement as one the “New Faces of Engineering.”

Canfield is among five young Member Firm employees chosen by the ACEC Committee of Fellows to receive ACEC’s “Young Professional of the Year” award, to be presented at the ACEC Fall Conference in Las Vegas. Other honorees for the Fellows award are: Abbie Adams, EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., Sparks, Md.; Emily Becker, Wright Water Engineers, Inc., Denver; Katherine Duitsman, Felsburg Holt & Ullevig, Centennial, Colo.; and Ryan Sisson, Bohannan Huston, Inc., Englewood, Colo.

For more information about the Young Professional of the Year award, click here.

ACEC’s online seminar Responding to Requests for Discounts or Unilateral Fee Reductions drew more than 160 Member Firm participants. To purchase and download the recorded session, click here.

In the program, P. Douglas Folk of Folk & Associates outlined the ways firms can deal with client requests for discounts or reductions, including legal challenges and the application of Federal Acquisition Regulations.