Capitol Hill Watch

AIA Seeks Member Input on Impact of Contractor Withholding

The AIA is seeking information from its members about the impact of a recently-enacted law that requires government agencies to withhold 3 percent of payments to government contractors starting in 2011 (Read the Angle story.)

“We are concerned that this provision, which was snuck into a tax bill literally in the dead of night, will have adverse impacts on thousands of architecture firms that do business with the government,” said Andrew Goldberg, Assoc. AIA, manager, AIA federal regulatory affairs. “With small profit margins to begin with, plus the need to pay subcontractors promptly, the withholding of 3 percent of all payments may very well make government work unsustainable for many firms.”

The AIA is working with a coalition of trade and professional groups to undo the law and is supporting legislation introduced by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), S. 2821, to eliminate the provision from the tax code.

“To provide Sen. Craig and other opponents of the withholding provision with more information, the AIA has developed a survey asking members to report on how this provision will affect their government contracting work,” Goldberg said.

Take the survey here.

AIA Urges Members to Take Advantage of Congressional Recess
Lawmakers are at home, eager to talk to constituents

It is August again, and Congress is in recess for the whole month for its district work period. Over the coming weeks, members of Congress will be traveling across their states and congressional districts visiting community events, planning town halls, making campaign stops, and meeting with voters.

“This is an ideal time for AIA members to schedule face-to-face meetings with their members of Congress to discuss issues important to the profession,” explained Adam Melis, manager, AIA Grassroots Advocacy.

“Even though Congress will soon adjourn for the year, there are still a number of issues that they have to address in September. So AIA members should continue meeting with their congressional delegations while they are home,” added Tom Wolfe, senior director, AIA federal affairs.

The issues include:

• Affordable health care for small business owners
• Reducing the impact of the built environment on greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable design
• Affordable housing and historic preservation tax incentives
• Brownfield restoration.

Members can find issue briefs on these and other matters at http://www.aia.org/gov. E-mail the AIA Government Advocacy team to let them know about meetings you hold with members of Congress. AIA staff when lawmakers return to Washington.

Federal Agency Report

State Department Offers Seminar for U.S. Architects to Network with Canadian Counterparts

The U.S. consulates in Toronto and Vancouver are sponsoring a two-day, two-city seminar to allow American architecture and engineering firms to meet with their Canadian counterparts to explore joint international ventures.

According to the U.S. Commercial Services of the two consulates, the U.S.-Canada A/E Partnering Seminar event will enable U.S. firms to “make a presentation to Canadian architectural firms in Toronto and Vancouver on how your company's LEED or sustainable architectural projects will enhance the Canadian landscape and explore business partnerships with Canadian firms in order to pursue projects in Canada, the United States and in international markets.”

The seminar will take place September 18-20, 2006. The fee is $2,400 per firm for the first representative, and $450 for each additional representative. For more information, please contact Judy Simonite at the Vancouver consulate, 604-685-4311, ext. 278, or judy.simonite@mail.doc.gov; or Viktoria Palfi at the Toronto consulate, 416-595-5412, ext. 229, or viktoria.palfi@mail.doc.gov.

State and Local Update

SGN Meets to Discuss Green Buildings, Sustainable Architecture

Sustainable design— economically viable and ethically necessary—must be embraced by state legislatures if they are to become standard rather than exceptional practice, speakers advised the AIA State Government Network (SGN) during its summer meeting in Portland, Ore. Forty-five representatives from 37 states attended the two-and-a-half day program to discuss state legislative matters and share strategies regarding state-level advocacy on key AIA issues.

Ed Mazria, AIA, explained the role buildings play in global warming.

Ed Mazria, AIA, founder of The 2030 Challenge, kicked off the meeting with a presentation that illustrated how carbon dioxide emissions affect global climates, and explained the role buildings play in global warming. He discussed The 2030 Challenge, which seeks to reduce the current consumption of fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings by 50 percent and eventually reach carbon neutrality for all new buildings by the year 2030. This challenge is not new to AIA members: the Board of Directors adopted a position statement in 2005 that promotes the initiative and commits the AIA to achieving the goals of the challenge.

Following Mazria, a panel discussed ratings systems for high-performance buildings, including the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED™ rating system and the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes™ program. During a separate panel, Stan Bowman, AIA Washington Council executive director, and Chris Parts, AIA, AIA Maryland president-elect, offered their experiences with legislative approaches that can promote sustainable design and help the AIA reach the goals of The 2030 Challenge.

Cost Analysis of Building Green
Greg Kats, from Capital E, a Washington, D.C.-based clean energy strategic consulting firm, offered a compelling presentation on the economics of green architecture to dispell the common myth that building green equates to a more expensive structure. Kats noted that in a report on the financial costs and benefits of green buildings, “investing $100,000 to incorporate green building features into a $5-million project would result in a savings of at least $1 million over the life of the building.” In discussing a similar report studying green schools, Kats suggested that although green schools cost 1.5-2.5 percent more than conventional schools, they provide 10-20 times the financial benefits.

SGN members enjoyed a walking tour of Portland's green architecture.

SGN also offered panels and presentations on integrated practice, licensing, land use, building codes, the importance of state political action committees (PACs), writing press releases, and Oregon’s Give and Take Campaign to educate the public and legislators about architects. According to Paul Mendelsohn, senior director of AIA State and Local Affairs, “The SGN is the premier tool for the AIA’s state-level advocacy efforts. During these meetings, component leaders and government affairs representatives are able to share their experiences and knowledge, learn about upcoming trends, and hone their lobbying skills.”

Billie Kaumaya, manager, AIA State and Local Issues and Programs, said, “Portland was the perfect choice for this meeting. As we’re trying to highlight the importance of sustainability, this city is the ideal model of a livable, walkable community. Portlanders can walk, bike or take the free trolley from their apartments to their office buildings in morning and then to dinner in the evening.”

The SGN is comprised of component presidents, legislative affairs chairs, contract lobbyists, and members who have an interest in government advocacy. The program is designed to help foster communication between state components. To learn more about the State Government Network and other state advocacy tools, contact Billie Kaumaya, manager, AIA State and Local Issues and Programs, bkaumaya@aia.org or 202-626-7381.

Political Activity

AIA Florida/FAPAC: Legislative Night at the Ballpark

AIA Florida and FAPAC, AIA Florida’s political action committee, held its 7th annual "Legislator's Night at the Ballpark" August 1 at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This year's event hosted State House candidates for open seats.

Pictured left to right, Mickey Jacob, AIA, Ward Friszolowski, AIA, candidate Rod Jones, and Vivian Salaga, AIA.

The event provided a great opportunity to build new relationships with candidates for the statehouse and to discuss issues in the upcoming election, reports Mickey Jacob, AIA, past president of AIA Florida and current ArchiPAC chair. Each candidate received a campaign contribution from FAPAC.

The baseball game is one of the component’s most popular and successful legislative events. AIA Florida’s Vivian Salaga, AIA, president; Mark Smith, AIA, president-elect; Henry Woodroffe, FAIA, regional director; Mickey Jacob, AIA, past president; Vicki Long, executive vice president, and Ward Friszolowski, AIA, AIA Tampa Bay member and mayor of St. Petersburg Beach, represented the state component. AIA Florida’s government affairs consultants, including Mike Huey, Chris Hansen, Todd Steibly, and Celeste Burns, all helped to make it an informal and informative evening. BECK hosted and underwrote the event.

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