Issues & AdvocacyState

Close Relations

Inside AIA National’s State Relations Team

July 28, 2011

Welcome to this week’s edition of Close Relations.

Note: AIA Components are encouraged to send legislative and advocacy news to Close Relations Editor Zachary Hart at zacharyhart@aia.org for inclusion in future editions of Close Relations.

STATE LEGISLATURES MEETING THIS WEEK: 4

Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin

HOT ISSUES:

• An article by the Council of State Governments looks at the possible consequences for states if the US Congress fails to make a deal to raise the debt ceiling.
• The AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) is now an independent Knowledge Community. CRAN aims to provide information, course content and leadership for residential architects.
• The AIA Board Advocacy Committee has completed their review of the AIA Public Policies and Position Statements. The BAC is seeking public comment from the State Government Network regarding a revision to the Sustainable Architecture Practice Position Statement. Contact Angie Taylor, Director, State Relations for more information at angietaylor@aia.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• A delegation of AIA national staff and members will host a booth at the 2011 Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures from August 8 – 11. Components and members are encouraged to invite their own state legislators to visit the AIA booth. For more information, contact Zachary Hart, State and Local Relations Consultant at zacharyhart@aia.org.
• State Relations Director Angie Taylor will facilitate two panels at the CACE Annual Meeting in Philadelphia August 10 – 13. The panels will cover government relations resources available to components and strategic planning for government affairs. For more information, contact Angie Taylor, Director State Relations at angietaylor@aia.org.
• The next SGN Open Call will occur on August 31, 2011 from 3:30 – 4: 30 pm Eastern Time. The call will feature John Schneidawind, Director Public Affairs and Media Relations giving a primer on the basics of media relations. More information will be available on the call in next week’s edition of Close Relations.

AROUND THE HORN:

• Architect Magazine published an article on the role of the architect in disaster assistance and preparation. The article includes comments by Michael Lingerfelt, AIA on the often difficult policy and administrative landscape that architects must contend with in responding to natural disasters.
• Foreclosure rates have fallen in 178 of the 211 largest metropolitan areas so far this year, according to RealtyTrac Inc. The decline is due to delays from the documentation issues exposed by government investigations last year as well as loan modifications by lenders trying to avoid foreclosures due to the poor housing market. See the full Boston.com article on the foreclosure rate decline here.
• The Baltimore Sun published an article on Baltimoreans who have adopted a car-free lifestyle. State Relations’ very own Chris Merriam, Manager of State Issues and Programs is quoted in the article.

RESOURCES:

• The AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Panel is projecting a 5.6% decline in spending for nonresidential buildings due to the uneven economic recovery, hesitancy of banks to lend, weak government finances, and increases in the costs of building materials commodities. A detailed analysis written by AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker is available here.

THIS WEEK IN STATE RELATIONS:

• SGN Advisory Panels: No advisory panels met this week. Relevant documents for each Panel will be posted to Sharepoint: Click here, then “SGN Advisory Panels.” Contact Chris Merriam if you’re interested in joining one of the Panels.
• SGN Listserv threads: There were no SGN Listserv threads this week. All SGN Listserv threads are archived on Sharepoint; click here, then “SGN Listserv Threads.”

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Past editions of Close Relations can be found here.

Connect with AIA’s State Affairs team:

• Angie Taylor (Director, State Relations): 202.626.7543 or angietaylor@aia.org
• Chris Merriam (Manager, State Issues and Programs): 202.626.7417 or chrismerriam@aia.org
• Zachary Hart (State and Local Relations Consultant, Close Relations Editor): 202.626.7354 or zacharyhart@aia.org
• Twitter: @AIA_StRelations