Advocacy
Government Advocacy
ACEC Montana maintains a presence in the Montana Legislature and with state and local agencies in order to represent business and professional interests. Through our ongoing lobbying efforts, ACEC Montana works to ensure legislative and agency leaders receive information and opinions from consulting engineers on issues affecting the consulting engineering profession and the public.
Committees
ACEC Montana has four very active committees. They are the following:
MDT Liaison Committee
This committee meets twice a year with the Montana Department of Transportation to discuss issues such as:
- MDT’s strategic focus on infrastructure, safety, and proactive engagement under new leadership
- Financial Challenges in Grant Funding and State Cash Flow
- Improving coordination and efficiency in legislative efforts and project management at MDT
- Evaluation and Improvement of Procurement and Performance Processes
- Improving efficiency and transitioning to new contracting methods within MDT
Government Affairs & Legislative Committee
This committee meets regularly prior to and during the legislative session to discuss issues. Significant efforts were made to secure funding for house bills, particularly those related to reclamation and development, although some local bridge funding was lost.
DEQ Liaison Committee
This committee meets quarterly to discuss topics such as:
- Project Updates & Collaboration Opportunities
- Staffing & Capacity Challenges
- MEPA (Montana Environmental Policy Act)
- Quality of Work from Consulting Industry
Education and Training Committee
This committee is focused on bringing training opportunities to ACEC Montana member firms such as:
- PSMJ PM Bootcamp
- Legal and Risk Seminars
- Principals Bootcamp
- Forums – IT, Finance, HR, Women in Leadership, & Business Development
- Joint Conference with other states in our region
ACEC National Political Action Committees
ACEC/PAC — the American Council of Engineering Companies Political Action Committee — is the engineering industry's preeminent political action committee. The sole purpose of the ACEC/PAC is to elect candidates to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate who support policies and legislation favorable to the engineering industry. ACEC/PAC may give up to $10,000 to a federal candidate per election cycle ($5,000 for the primary and $5,000 for the general election). ACEC/PAC supports candidates on a bipartisan basis and is overseen by a committee of PAC Champions representing the state member organizations.
Individuals working for ACEC Member Firms may give up to $5,000 per calendar year to ACEC/PAC. Only personal (partnership and sole proprietorship are also allowed) checks or credit cards can be used to donate to ACEC/PAC. Federal law prohibits corporate donations to the PAC; however, corporate contributions to ACEC can be used to underwrite PAC activities, such as specific event sponsorships and PAC auction items.
Each state member organization is assigned an annual fundraising goal by ACEC based on its membership strength. ACEC Montana has reached this goal for multiple years with your help! Thank you to everyone who helped by contributing!
