Issues & AdvocacyIssues & Advocacy

Contact | Federal Relations | State Relations | Local Relations |Codes Advocacy | Communities by Design | Advocacy365

In this issue:

Washington Report

• Grassroots Preview: Preparing for Capitol Hill Day

• After One Week Break, House Gets Back to Business -- Perhaps with Softer Tone

• Tax Reform Gains Support as Attention Turns to State of the Union

• Export-Import Bank Announces New Initiatives for Small Businesses

• GSA Green Proving Ground Program Needs Input

State and Local Update

• SGN to Roll Up Sleeves, Roll Out Strategic Initiatives

• Great Lakes State Enacts Continuing Ed Reform

AIA Members Getting Involved

• At Site of American Disaster, AIA Members Poise Themselves to Aid Haiti in Recovery

The AIA's Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference is quickly approaching. In advance of Capitol Hill Day, which takes place Thursday, February 3, it is time for those attending the conference to prepare for your meetings with your members of Congress. Below are the answers to some of the most pressing questions related to Capitol Hill Day.

Who is my member of Congress? How can I find out more information? Where they stand on the issues we are taking up the Hill? What committees do they serve on? There are many resources available to find out more information about your Member(s) of Congress. First, to find out who your member of Congress is, visit the House of Representatives website and use the "Find Your Representative" tool in the upper left corner. To learn more about your legislator, visit his/her official website. Nearly every member of Congress has one, and they can be accessed thru the House or Senate websites. It may sometimes be difficult to determine where your legislator stands on the issues related to the AIA legislative agenda. However, for the most part, Members of Congress will list on their websites their most important issues, which may provide insight into how he/she stands philosophically. They will usually list the committees they sit on, as well -- and it should be noted that not all committee assignments have been finalized for the recently-seated 112^th Congress.

[Note: In addition to the above online resources, legislator profiles will be distributed at Grassroots with other Capitol Hill Day materials.]

Who schedules my appointments?  The answer for this varies by state, so please contact your state AIA chapter. In some cases, you may be responsible for scheduling your own appointments. If so, there are resources available to help you on the Advocacy365 website.

Who do I tell that I have scheduled a meeting? E-mail the AIA Government Relations team, as they are maintaining a master schedule of all Capitol Hill meetings during Grassroots. Leave-behind materials will be distributed only for those meetings on the master schedule.

What are the AIA's key issues this year? In case you missed the last issue of The Angle the AIA's "Main Streets Agenda" was announced earlier this month. This is the core of our message we will be taking to Capitol Hill. For more information, click here.

The House is out of session during Grassroots. Does this mean I will meet with staff? Most likely, yes. Remember -- this is not a bad thing. In many cases, the staff person you will meet with will be working on the bills we are discussing. Staff members are the ones who inform their members of Congress on key points related to legislation, often impacting how the legislator votes. Informing the staff on our agenda is a key part of the process. In addition, many Hill staffers will be able to provide their office's perspective on legislation and the issues that are being presented. And, with the new House calendar, your member of Congress will be back in the district more often, meaning more opportunities to meet, to invite them to events or chapter meetings, or include them in site or office visits.

Finally, remember that the Senate is scheduled to be in session during Grassroots.

For additional information or to ask any additional questions about Grassroots, contact Adam Melis, director, Advocacy Outreach.

Following a one week delay caused by the shootings in Arizona, the new House Republican majority is getting to business this week with its top post-election priority: repeal of President Obama's health care reform legislation.

The House had scheduled a vote on repeal for January 12, but after the shootings at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' (D) constituent event in Tucson, which left six people dead and 14 (including Giffords) injured, the Republican leadership suspended legislative activity in place of a resolution in honor of the victims and stating that the House "stands firm in its belief in a democracy in which all can participate and in which intimidation and threats of violence cannot silence the voices of any American."

As the House got back to business this week, leaders on both sides of the aisle have expressed hope that the debate over health care can be conducted in a more civil manner than has been the norm on the House floor in recent years. Although the repeal easily passed the House Wednesday on a 245-189 vote, it has virtually no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Meanwhile, Members of Congress are gearing up for another potentially divisive debate later this spring, over the federal debt ceiling. At the moment, the U.S. debt is at $13.9 trillion. The current ceiling set by Congress, $14.3 trillion, will be hit in a few months. Many conservatives, including large numbers of the newly elected members of the House, have expressed opposition to raising it again, instead advocating for deep spending cuts. Others, including President Obama, have warned that failing to raise the debt ceiling would have catastrophic consequences on the country's economy, its credit rating and on its relationships with other countries.

Although the debate over the debt ceiling and government spending is expected to be contentious, lawmakers have found at least one way to show more civility: support is growing for having Republicans and Democrats sit together at the President's State of the Union address next week, instead of the usual practice of sitting on opposite ends of the House chamber. Backers of this idea, led by Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), contend that this will make the Congress appear more like the country they represent and will avoid the partisan spectacle of one side of the chamber rising to its feet in applause while the other side sits disapprovingly.

For more information, contact Andrew Goldberg, Assoc. AIA, senior director, Federal Relations.

In a political climate where there is little agreement on anything, most lawmakers agree that the tax code is flawed, complicated, and inefficient. However, overhauling the tax code will require cooperation and compromise -- two things that have, typically, been absent in recent political debate.

Nevertheless, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced January 12 that the White House is mulling a plan to revamp the code, starting with corporate taxes. The Administration has met with the nation's top business executives to discuss incentives to increase hiring and issues surrounding corporate tax reform. Although the talks have gone well, no definitive plan has been announced as yet. While the Administration is examining whether there is the political support for a comprehensive tax reform, both Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus (D-MT) and House Ways and Means Committee chair David Camp (R-MI) have voiced support for a reform.

Although there appears to be broad support for reform, there is little agreement on an approach. The Administration's one condition is that any overhaul must either raise revenue to cut the $1.3 trillion budget deficit or be revenue-neutral (i.e., neither lowering nor raising revenue past current levels). The Administration also wants to limit reform to the corporate tax code.

Republican Members of Congress want to overhaul the code in its entirety, including individual and corporate taxes. They also want lower taxes for all, citing that the deficit problem is not due to a lack of revenue, but, instead, is a spending problem. Many, however, agree with Democrats that reform cannot be accomplished without painful cuts of valued expenditures, including the mortgage interest deduction and subsidies for corporations' overseas investments.

The Administration appears to be struggling with the idea of overhauling the tax code without using the reform to lower the deficit. Some of President Obama's top officials do not believe that the ensuing political battle will be worth the fight if the code is not structured in a way that addresses the deficit. However, Republicans have expressed that they will oppose any tax increase, paving the way for a lively debate.

The President will likely indicate his intentions in the upcoming State of the Union address. Many pundits believe that if the President highlights tax reform as an item on his 2011-2012 agenda, then tax reform will be imminent. Some believe that in order for reform to gain any momentum in Congress, the President will have to come out as the leader of the debate. This is likely because Members of Congress will be hesitant to come out in support of cuts that may hurt their constituents without the insistence, or approval, of the President.

However, if the President remains silent on the issue in the State of the Union, then reform will be unlikely until after the 2012 Presidential election. If President Obama does not identify tax reform as a keystone issue going forward, the debate will likely go nowhere in the 112^th Congress.

If the President calls for tax reform, many of the provisions that are most critical to the architectural profession will be up for debate. No matter what, the AIA will be an active participant in these debates, and will continue to voice the importance of these provisions for our industry.

For more information, contact Christina Finkenhofer, manager, Federal Relations.

The United States Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) announced several new initiatives last week to assist small businesses on exporting services abroad. One of these initiatives will help architects protect themselves from non-payment of fees through the Export Credit Reinsurance program. This product allows you to get insurance so that your investment is protected if your client fails to pay you when you are working abroad.

Ex-Im is very anxious to work with small businesses who export services. While international trade numbers focus on physical exports, the Obama Administration is focusing on exporting both goods and services. At this time, the Bank is writing insurance for 10 percent of services and the Bank is anxious to help American service providers increase their exports. For additional information regarding the announcement, click here.

For more information, contact Jessica Salmoiraghi, director, Federal Regulatory Relations.

Through its Green Proving Ground Program, the General Services Administration (GSA) is working to drive innovation in environmental performance across the agency's building portfolio and help lead market transformation. In support of this program, GSA is seeking information from the private sector to develop a registry of innovative technologies and practices.

The new database will capture technologies and practices that optimize energy performance, protect and conserve water, enhance indoor environmental quality, reduce waste and environmental impact of materials, reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with building operations, and promote integrated design. This program will, on a limited and carefully controlled basis, test and evaluate innovative technologies and practices in selected GSA-owned buildings across the country.

To submit your information regarding innovative building technologies and ideas to be included in the registry, click here.

For more information, contact Jessica Salmoiraghi, director, Federal Regulatory Relations.

The annual gathering of State Government Network (SGN) representatives will take place February 1-2 (two half-day sessions) and will serve, in part, as a commemoration of SGN's 20^th anniversary.

Begun in 1991 as a network to share resources and encourage communication among state chapters, SGN has become the "go-to" source for the most up-to-date resources and materials for effective advocacy within state governments. SGN is made up of over 150 chapter presidents, legislative affairs chairs, contract lobbyists, AIA members, and chapter staff -- all designated by their respective state chapters -- who share a common interest in advocacy.

This year's meeting is designed to engage the members in a variety of roundtable discussions on specific issues faced by the states. With budgets under fire, tough decisions will have to be made and the profession will face challenges -- some old, some new.

Day one will include members, chapter staff and AIA staff performing as moderators as groups explore issues relating to licensure, procurement, project deli very methods, "regulatory assaults" (e.g., taxes, torts), and codes. As a result of the discussions, SGN participants will comprehensively review issue briefs, talking points, and other resources, as well appoint issue-focused task forces to oversee each topic throughout 2011.

The second day will look toward the future as the discussion turns to emerging trends in state governments. Topics such as public/private partnerships; regional involvement; and how the AIA advocacy team can leverage existing Institute programs (e.g., Knowledge Communities, Communities by Design) to put favorable policy in front of state decision-makers will be discussed.

For more information, contact Angie Taylor, director, State Relations.

Michigan recently became the forty-third state to require mandatory continuing education (MCE) for architectural license renewal. HB 6374 was passed by the Legislature in early December and signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) a few days before Christmas.

The bill would require architects to complete a program of continuing education before their licenses may be renewed. Previously, only "a demonstration of continuing professional competence" was required. The state's Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth will now be charged with establishing the continuing education program.

The AIA State Relations team extends congratulations to AIA Michigan Executive Director Rae Dumke, Hon. AIA and her members for their effective advocacy on this issue.

For more information, contact Angie Taylor, director, State Relations.

International group of designers meet in New Orleans to address "ocean" of housing needs

Architects gathered in New Orleans last week to mark the first anniversary of the Haitian earthquake of 2010 and to share ideas and approaches gleaned from a similarly horrific disaster -- Hurricane Katrina.

The two-day "AIA Haiti/New Orleans Summit" was the culmination of a year-long effort by the AIA to expand volunteer opportunities for the building and design industry in that ravaged and impoverished nation. In September, the AIA Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution expresses support for the Haitian architectural community and committing to developing a process under which AIA volunteers will be able to provide assistance to those affected by the earthquake. In April, the Puerto Rico Chapter of the AIA hosted a conference that united Haitian design experts with other Pan Caribbean professionals to examine the current status of Haitian infrastructure, identify strategic areas of support and plan for local, regional, and national development.

[Note: A comprehensive review of the summit will appear in tomorrow's {January 21} edition of AIArchitect.]

For more information, contact Cooper Martin, manager, Federal Research and Policy Development.