Federal policy issues
How we prioritize our policy issues
The AIA Board of Directors sets the policy direction for AIA’s federal agenda every two years. They incorporate AIA member feedback, surveys, and resolutions into that process. From there, the board-level Government Advocacy Committee (GAC) provides more specifics and sets the policy prioritization based on current developments on Capitol Hill and within the administration. The AIA Federal Relations team is responsible for finding legislation and/or regulatory opportunities that would move these policies forward. The Federal Relations team reports to the GAC on progress toward those policy objectives in a monthly meeting.
Led by the GAC, and with the approval of the AIA Board of Directors, AIA released a 2020 Policy Platform that provides an overview of AIA’s top federal policy priorities. To find out more about each one, click the issues below.
Infrastructure
AIA’s federal infrastructure engagement campaign intersects with multiple AIA policy priorities, including climate action, resilience, affordable housing, and tax policy. AIA members and federal relations staff have been working hard to ensure that any federal infrastructure package includes funding for buildings.
After nine months of AIA advocacy (including direct meetings, action alerts, and letters to policymakers), AIA members secured an important bipartisan victory. In November 2021, President Biden signed into law a bipartisan infrastructure package (H.R. 3684), which included investments for energy-efficient and resilient buildings along with more traditional set-asides for transportation infrastructure. This is a milestone for the building construction industry.
Why? The federal government confirming buildings as a critical piece of U.S. infrastructure for the first time within the federal statute sets a legislative precedent that buildings are infrastructure, which will be important to architects for generations to come.
Although previous attempts to pass a party-line reconciliation package failed in December 2021, then called the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), negotiations resumed during the second session of the 117th Congress and culminated in President Biden signing H.R. 5376, The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, into law on August 16, 2022. The package includes about $370 billion in energy and climate-related spending, making it the largest federal investment to combat climate change in history.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes multiple AIA priorities, including investments in building energy codes, climate tax incentives and energy efficient affordable housing. This legislation is step in the right direction towards creating sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities for all. A more detailed overview of the building sector investments in the legislation is available.
AIA 2023 Lobby Day
AIA Lobby Day 2023 will be taking place on February 15, 2023. This year’s Lobby Day event will take place on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Learn more about AIA’s Lobby Day and how to get involved by visiting the event page.
Letters to policymakers
The following section includes letters that AIA has submitted to federal policymakers during the current 117th Congress (2021-2022). You can also visit AIA's 116th Congress Archive to see a comprehensive list of letters submitted to policymakers during the 116th Congress (2019-2020).
COVID-19 has dramatically changed our world, rocking the global economy and challenging the way people interact with the built environment. Through it all, AIA has tirelessly voiced architects’ priorities for COVID-19 relief. AIA lobbies for financial relief for architects to help them withstand the economic downturn, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), tax credits for redesigning workplaces, and funding for state and local governments (which often contract for architectural services). We’re also calling for a robust green infrastructure investment to get the economy back on its feet. Please see below for additional information about AIA’s federal engagement regarding COVID-19 relief.
AIA Letter to Department of Treasury RE: COVID-19 Relief Funds (July 16, 2021)
Read AIA [Letter to Agency] RE: COVID-19 Relief Funds >
GIWG Coalition Letter RE: Green Infrastructure COVID-19 Recovery Priorities (March 30, 2021)
Read GIWG [Letter to White House] Coalition Letter >
Chamber of Commerce Coalition Letter RE: PPP Deadline Extension (March 3, 2021)
Read Chamber of Commerce [Letter to Hill] RE: PPP Deadline Extension >
S-Corp Coalition Letter RE: NOL's (February 5, 2021)
Read S-Corp Coalition [Letter to Hill] RE: NOL's >
Green Infrastructure Working Group Priorities RE: COVID Recovery (January 21, 2021)
Read Green Infrastructure [Letter to Hill] COVID Recovery Priorities >
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