Issues & AdvocacyFederal

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a massive economic recovery package designed to stimulate the economy and help the nation cope with the ongoing recession. The law includes hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to states to help create new jobs, billions to help individuals and businesses, and nearly $300 billion in tax cuts. The AIA Government Advocacy team has created a resource center to supply our components with as many tools possible to advocate for our members.

Overview and Analysis

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – Stimulus Bill
• AIA’s detailed analysis of the built environment provisions
• Employment impact of the ARRA
• RECOVERY.GOV - The White House’s Web site on the stimulus
• STATERECOVERY.org is a service of The Council of State Governments (CSG) designed to help states rapidly decipher potential funding opportunities and share best practices by tracking how the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government are responding to and affected by this historic legislation
• Explanation of maintenance of effort requirement for state fiscal stabilization fund
• Further breakdown of stimulus components from the National Conference of State Legislatures
• Memo From the White House to Federal Department and Agency Heads – Implementing Guidance for the Reports on Use of Funds Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Education

• Department of Education’s chart of the ARRA with allocations by program
• Letter From Education Secretary to Pennsylvania Governor on Spending Education Dollars on Education – not to Fill Budget Gaps
• Education Facilities and Economic Recovery:  A Guide to School Construction and Modernization in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Agenda and Presentation
• Federal Stimulus Funding and Tax Credit Bonds for School Construction

Energy

• DOE’s funding amounts individual states and localities will receive through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Scroll down to the map at the bottom and click on your state. Read the instructions to see the amounts by city/locality 
• Rapid Deployment Energy Efficiency (RDEE) Planning Guide: This guide is designed to help state and local authorities and energy efficiency program administrators choose successful programs as they advance energy efficiency program funding opportunities through ARRA.
• Energy Star - Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
• National Association of Counties’ environmental/energy related stimulus provisions

Transportation

• Detailed information on all DOT programs in economic stimulus package
• State-by-state breakdown of federal highway stimulus funding
• Summary of the transportation provisions, including funding time frame and maintenance of effort requirements
• Current list of 18 states that have submitted their project lists to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

Getting Work/Opportunities

Federal

• The AIA’s Guide to Federal Procurement
• Architectural Record: How Architects Can Land a Government Job
• Economic Stimulus and Architects: Federal Relation’s presentation at the AIA’s National Convention and Design Exposition
• Federal Agency Connection PowerPoint Presentations from the AIA’s National Convention and Design Exposition: EPA—Energy Star Challenge: Architects Doing Their Part to Prevent Climate Change; Designing for Navy: The Expanding Program; GSA: Greening Federal Facilities

State and Local

• List of "shovel-ready" projects the mayors of each state submitted in the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors report
• Stimulus Ready-to-Go Architect Jobs by City
• U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Main Street Economic Recovery
• ACSA AIA Report on Innovation and Stimulus Design and Research

Government Links

• General Services Administration (stimulus link on lower right)
• Department of Defense
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Education
• Department of Veteran Affairs
• Department of Energy
• National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO – contact information for state procurement officials in all 50 states)
• National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)

Advocate for Change

Take Action

• Send an appointment request letter to your state or local officials. This letter can be modified to fit your needs.
• Advocate for the use of AIA Contract Documents® on stimulus projects. For assistance, please contact the AIA Contract Documents team
• Ken Cobleigh, managing director and counsel, AIA Contract Documents content (202-626-7321)
• Susan Van Bell, associate counsel, AIA Contract Documents content (202-626-7397)
• Summary of state usage of AIA Contract Documents. This list is not exhaustive. The data is obtained from an SGN survey conducted in December 2008.  If AIA Contracts Documents are used in your state and not listed here or if this list is incorrect in anyway, please contact us.

See What Have Others Done

• See messages from the AIA’s Board to President Obama
• Diverse Groups Sign on to AIA Letter Supporting School Modernization
• AIA Testifies Before Congress in Support of Green Federal Buildings
• The AIA asks members of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) how they would like to help the advocacy efforts of the AIA’s Rebuild and Renew program. Listen to the podcast and watch the video with AIAS President JW Blanchard.
• AIA Florida’s Rebuild and Renew stimulus plan proposal

Why Should You Help

• Why Architects Need to Get Involved
• View the new Advocacy 201 Webinar: Members of the AIA Board Advocacy Committee conducted a four-part series, focusing on the AIA advocacy efforts related to sustainability: Define Sustainability, Coalitions, Opposition, and Year-Round Advocacy.
• AIA President Marvin J. Malecha asks members to continue their successful outreach efforts at the state and local levels (from state page)
• Letter from AIA President Marvin Malecha to AIA members
• Call-to-action letter from the Association of Collegiate Schools in Architecture to assist state and local components that are working to influence the effective use of stimulus funding.

Tools to Advocate

The AIA believes that by investing in green schools, green affordable housing, transit development, and livable communities, we will not only create many new jobs, but will save Americans money and will modernize our country. Our infrastructure is crumbling and our schools are failing. Investing in them is investing in our future. Below are talking points, facts and figures, and templates aimed to help illustrate these points:

• General Construction Industry Facts and Figures
• Tax Incentives for Green Commercial Buildings Fact Sheet
• Tax Incentives for Green Residential Buildings Fact Sheet
• Green Schools Talking Points
• Green Housing Talking Points
• Transit/Livable Communities Talking Points
• School Facility Bonds Fact Sheet
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) issue brief
• Rebuild and Renew forum for local government leaders Template Letter
• Sample ad slicks for State Components: Go Green and The Next Step Is Up to You.
• Op-ed samples: The Right School of Thought for Economic Recovery Projects; A Much Need Transformation for Transportation; and A How-to Guide to Media and Editorial Coverage.

Contact Us

Thank you for your interest in the AIA's plan to Rebuild and Renew America.

• For questions on the Rebuild and Renew agenda, e-mail 
  Andrew Goldberg or call 202-626-7438.
• For questions on state issues, e-mail Renee Wadsworth or call 202-626-7384
• For questions on local issues, e-mail Brooks Rainwater or call 202-626-7513
• For media inquiries, e-mail AIA Media Relations or call 202-626-7467