The Week Ending January 28, 2000
This weekly report is written by ASCE's Government Relations staff. If you have questions or comments about any items in this report, please contact Brian Pallasch, Michael Charles, Martin Hight, Austin Fulk, or Liz Hermsen at 202/789-2200.
Inside This Week:
Conferees Meet on AIR-21 Legislation But No Deal in Sight
House and Senate conferees met again this week to try to work out differences related to FAA Reauthorization (H.R. 1000, S. 82), but the impasse over the budgetary treatment of the airport trust fund remained.
It has been reported that Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) stated that the Senate's offer from 1999 was the last and best offer the House will be given. Additionally, Domenici remains opposed to any general fund support for the FAA. This means that the FAA would have to run its operations with the trust fund money that would not necessarily be 100 percent dedicated to the aviation program.
The Senate position is unacceptable. If the government is not going to spend the money for its intended purposes then it should stop collecting the tax. ASCE has long supported the use of dedicated user fees and trust funds to finance infrastructure needs. ASCE further believes that all monies collected from these user fees should be deposited in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and that the trust fund should be removed from the unified federal budget.
President Supports Boost in R&D Funding
During his State of the Union address last night, President Clinton touched on the importance of investing in research and development. He recommended spending $3 billion for federal research and development (R&D) in FY 2001 for his 21st Century Research Fund. That amount would be "the largest increase in civilian research in a generation," Clinton said.
Education to be a Major Issue in 2000
Education is shaping up to be a major issue in Congress during 2000. The President put education at the top of his goals during the State of the Union address. On Capitol Hill, Congress is working to rewrite the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which governs most federal aide to public schools. The federal government currently supplies ten cents of every dollar spent on education. Additionally, poll after poll indicates that the public sees education as the number one issue.
There is, however, no consensus on what to do. There are over 200 bills in Congress addressing various forms of educational reform. ASCE is active on the issue by joining with other engineering, scientific and education groups in supporting greater emphasis on math and science education as well as seeking better training to teachers.
School Construction
Another aspect of the debate on education is the various proposals to renovate the nation's deteriorating school buildings. In 1998, ASCE's Report Card for the Nation's Infrastructure gave schools an F. That helped spur action in Washington that includes the President's proposal to spend $1.3 billion to build new and update existing public schools. In the State of the Union address, President Clinton proposed to "help 5,000 schools a year make immediate and urgent repairs and to help build or modernize 6,000 more." ASCE is working with a broad coalition of education, public advocacy and business groups to support efforts to modernize the nation's schools.
Tax Relief Proposal Includes Graduate Education
The Administration's higher education agenda for FY 2001 includes reinstating the tax exemption for employer paid education assistance at the graduate-level. Last year, Congress extended the tax exemption for employer paid education assistance for undergraduate level courses only. ASCE strongly supports extending the exemption to graduate level courses.
OSHA Extends Comment Period for Ergonomics Rule
Labor Secretary Alexis Herman announced this week that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration extended the comment period on the proposed ergonomics standard for 30 days. ASCE, in a letter to Assistant Secretary Charles Jeffress, had asked that OSHA extend the comment period
The deadline for public comment, originally slated for next Tuesday, will be extended to March 2 in order to accommodate the more than 1,000 requests the agency received from individuals needing additional time to prepare their submissions.
"Because this standard is so important, we determined that it is in the best interest of workers, employers and all concerned to extend the comment period," Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman said. "Although the ergonomics proposal itself is short, there are many supporting documents, and people want additional time to review the record."
State Legislatures Back in Session: ASCE Issues Being Addressed
January marks the start of state legislative sessions around the country, and already ASCE is seeing legislation introduced in a number of states that affects our members. The following is a sampling of legislation from across the country of relevance to civil engineers. As you can see, some legislation has already been introduced that can help civil engineers, while other legislation currently under consideration could potentially harm the profession. If you are concerned about any of these bills, or would like more information on legislative activity of interest to civil engineers in your state, please contact Austin Fulk, ASCE's Manager of State Government Relations, at (202) 789-2200 or by email at afulk@asce.org.
California - Abolition of Engineer Licensing Board (Legislative Review Committee). All boards and commissions in California are sunsetted; they are then reviewed before being re-authorized or eliminated, and the Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors is in danger of being abolished with its functions assigned to an agency that receives no official input from engineers.
New Hampshire - Regulation of the term "engineer" (S.B. 372). Prohibits companies that do not offer engineering services from using the term "engineer" in their business name.
Pennsylvania - Tort Immunity for Engineers (H.B. 2070). Provides immunity from liability for engineers who provide unpaid assistance at the request of government officials during an emergency or natural disaster, provided the engineer acted in good faith.
Utah - Competition for design services (S.B. 20). Prohibits local governing bodies from contracting with educational institutions, such as colleges and universities, for design services.
Washington - Design-Build (S.B. 6283). Allows design-build on all state transportation projects (previously only those over $10 million); requires the state to perform two demonstration projects through design-build.
