The Week Ending February 11, 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:
National Policy Committee Members Visit Capitol Hill
Members of ASCE's National Transportation and Infrastructure Policy Committees met with members of the U.S. Congress and their staff during ASCE's Transportation and Infrastructure Policy Forum held in Washington, D.C. earlier this week. The main issue they discussed with their Senators and Representatives was stopping the bottleneck on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, AIR-21.
Federal funding of airport construction has been halted for the past six months because Congress cannot come to a compromise on AIR-21 funding for capital improvements to the nation's airport and airway system. This deadlock exists because the United States Senate refuses to unlock the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and also provide higher general funds for daily operations of the FAA. ASCE supports the House position to unlock the Trust Fund and provide general funds for FAA operations so that all Trust Fund money is used for capital improvements. The ASCE national policy committee members urged their Senators to find an acceptable compromise on the legislation. They also discussed with their legislators school modernization and improvement and maintenance of ports, harbors, and waterways.
Another purpose of the two-day policy forum was to review and develop ASCE policy statements, position papers, and resolutions on major technical, professional, educational, and public policy issues. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee staff and association leaders briefed participating committee members on current policy issues. Policy committee members also attended an ASCE reception to meet other members of the transportation and infrastructure community.
ASCE Government Relations will hold two additional policy forums in the coming months: Water and Environment on March 13 and 14, and Civil Engineering Research on May 17 and 18. All ASCE members are welcome to participate in the forums as well as meet with their legislators. If you are interested in attending, please contact Brian Pallasch by e-mail or phone at (202) 789-2200.
National Science Foundation Budget Request
The budget request for the National Science Foundation (NSF) for FY 2001 represents an increase of 17.3 percent over its FY 2000 budget and reflects the Administration's goals of increasing research and development spending. Overall for FY 2001, the Administration is requesting $4.57 billion. Engineering programs would get $456 million, including $56 million for civil and mechanical systems, $133 million for design, manufacture and industrial innovation, and $111 million for engineering education centers.
Economic Development Administration Budget
The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), which provides financial assistance in the form of infrastructure development grants to economically distressed communities, is seeking a substantial budget increase for FY 2001. The EDA is requesting $437 million, well above the $360 million it received for FY 2000. The EDA makes grants for use as seed money for economic development. EDA money is used, often leveraged with state and local money, to make infrastructure improvement to spur private development.
Administration Proposes Tax on Some Associations
As part of President Clinton's proposed FY 2001 budget, a proposal has been made to tax the investment income of 501(c)(6) associations. While ASCE, as a 501(c)(3), is not effected, we will monitor the proposal carefully. Efforts have been made in the past to tax the investment and other "unrelated business" income of associations such as ASCE. If such a tax were imposed, ASCE would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars now spent on programs.
State Legislative Update
ASCE continues to provide updates on state legislation affecting civil engineers as state legislative sessions progress. For more information on the following bills, or any other state legislative matters, please contact Austin Fulk, ASCE's Manager of State Government Relations, at (202) 789-2200 or via email at govwash@asce.org.
Arizona-There are two bills in the Arizona Senate to allow design-build construction for school facilities in the state. S.B. 1277 would authorize local school boards to use design build for local school facilities, while S.B. 1351 would allow colleges and universities under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Board of Regents to use design-build for procurement. S.B. 1253 would also allow a certain number of design-build pilot projects around the state.
Iowa-H.S.B. 564 would set disclosure requirements for expert witnesses used by any party suing a design professional, including an engineer.
Washington-H.B. 3052 would allow most public entities to use design-build procurement for construction. S.B. 6556 is the State Senate version of this proposal.
