Categories
Categories
- March 21, 2023
- ACEC Submits Comments on Employment-Based Visa Fees
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ACEC submitted comments on a proposal from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to substantially increase the fees associated with employment-based visas.
USCIS processes the visas that engineering firms use to employ international talent when qualified Americans and U.S. residents are not available. This includes optional practical training (OPT), H-1B visas, and employment-based green cards. Over ninety percent of the USCIS budget comes from visa fees and the agency generally proposes fee increases every four years, although the fees were last raised in 2016.
- March 17, 2023
- Council Reinforces Need to Maintain Fair and Open Competition
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This week, ACEC submitted comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is proposing to revise title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR). Specifically, ACEC shared the Council’s concerns over past interpretations of CFR 2, Section 200.319, which states, “In order to ensure objective contractor performance and eliminate unfair competitive advantage, contractors that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, or invitations for bids or requests for proposals must be excluded from competing for such procurements.”
- February 27, 2023
- New Guidance on Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
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On Friday, FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt circulated new guidance on implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Administration's priorities. The memo supersedes guidance issued in December 2021 that was the subject of some confusion and concern, particularly with respect to the way it discouraged construction of new highway capacity projects.
- February 24, 2023
- ACEC hosts FAPA meeting
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ACEC was pleased to host a meeting of the Federal Agencies Procurement Advocacy meeting at our new Washington, DC offices.
- February 17, 2023
- ACEC Submits Comments on Federal Contractor Greenhouse Gas Disclosure Rules
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The proposed amendment to the FAR, called the Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk, would require federal contractors to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. It would also require larger firms to set science-based emissions reduction targets.
- February 10, 2023
- ACEC Outlines Priorities for Aviation and Airports Bill
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Council President Linda Bauer Darr sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee outlining the industry’s priorities for legislation to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs and airport funding.
- February 10, 2023
- Advocacy in Action: ACEC Oregon
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ACEC Oregon’s Leadership Development Group attended the political involvement session of the leadership series yesterday in Salem.
- January 27, 2023
- ACEC Issues Action Alert Encouraging Repeal R&D Amortization
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ACEC members should urge lawmakers to cosponsor legislation to repeal R&D amortization.
Contact Your Representative and Senators
Starting on January 1, 2022, Congress changed how firms write off R&D expenses. Previously those expenses could be deducted in the year they were incurred, but now they must be amortized over five years in most cases.
- January 20, 2023
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Announces Republican Committee Members
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With the 118th Congress underway and Republican leadership set, GOP members are now receiving their committee assignments. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will be chaired by Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA) will be the ranking member of the committee.
- January 6, 2023
- $144 Million in Federal Funding Awarded to the City of Chicago to Rehabilitate the Illinois International Port Calumet River Bridges
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While perhaps being best known as the bridge that the Blues Brothers jumped their car over, the 95th Street bridge in Chicago serves as a key international gateway for commerce—and it was in desperate need of repair.
This week, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Chicago, along with Senator Dick Durbin to join with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Gary Mayor Jerome Prince, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to announce $144 million in federal funding awarded to the City of Chicago to rehabilitate the Illinois International Port Calumet River Bridges.
Brown and Caldwell announce Euan Finlay has been promoted from senior vice president to chief operating officer (COO), effective immediately. A senior executive with 25 years of experience, Finlay excels in leading organizations and teams to deliver excellence to clients while driving sustainable growth.
VHB welcomes Meghan Powell as Director of Transit and Rail for the Mid-Atlantic region. In this role, Powell will carve a path forward for VHB's Transit and Rail service line by strategically leading the development and implementation of its growth strategy.
Brown and Caldwell today announced Vice President Dr. Kati Bell has been appointed a fellow of the UC Irvine Water-Energy Nexus Center (WEX Center).
The WEX Center promotes fundamental and applied research at the water-energy nexus in partnership with industry. Its research focuses on all dimensions of power/energy use and efficiency in the water processing sector, including extraction, treatment, conveyance, reclamation, and reuse.
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