ACEC Member Firms have lined up in support of the reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which finances and insures foreign purchases of United States goods and services, enabling American firms to compete against those of other countries whose governments actively support their financing efforts.

House Republican leaders have targeted the Bank for elimination by letting the current authorization expire at the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2014. ACEC is aggressively lobbying for reauthorization.

"We're a strong supporter of ACEC's efforts to continue funding for the Ex-Im Bank," said Richard Boehne, senior director, international programs at Merrick & Company.

“The Ex-Im Bank is an important partner with a key role in supporting the development of global infrastructure projects," said Black & Veatch Vice President Paul Weidaa. "It helps maintain a level playing field for U.S. companies in competition with sovereign-backed, international firms.”

Power Engineers CEO Jack Hand added: "The Ex-Im Bank has been a big help to our firm in the geothermal area in various countries. It has also been a player in numerous wind projects we've been involved with."

A panel discussion on "Opportunities in Booming Energy Markets," at the upcoming 2014 ACEC Fall Conference in Waikoloa, Hawaii, October 22-25, will feature: Steve Bakken of Larson Engineering to describe the latest developments in the Bakken field; Pennoni Associates CEO Tony Bartolomeo to look at the future of the natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale Formation; and Kendall King, a principal at Freese and Nichols, to offer perspective on the Texas and Gulf energy markets.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner Tony Clark will discuss the "Development of America's New Energy Infrastructure" in a general session address.

Also speaking at the Conference will be political analyst Charlie Cook on the mid-term elections; business strategist Erik Wahl on innovation and leadership; and Member Firm CEOs on the business outlook for 2015.

The Conference also features more than three dozen bottom-line-focused educational sessions; CEO roundtables; exclusive CFO and CIO tracks; the CASE Convocation; and numerous ACEC coalition, council, and forum events.

For more information and to register, click here.

Congressional committee leaders continue to work to avoid the impending shortfall of the Highway Trust Fund in late July, but specific details have not yet come together.

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx has informed the heads of the State DOTs that, if Congress fails to shore up the Trust Fund, beginning on August 1, states will only receive rationed project payments every two weeks rather than full daily reimbursement.

The Senate Finance Committee postponed action last week on a draft bill to supplement the Highway Trust Fund with $8.4 billion, which would extend MAP-21 funding for highways and transit programs through the end of the year. Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) made several changes to an initial draft and then agreed to continue working with Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and House Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) to find bi-partisan, bi-cameral agreement. The Finance Committee meeting will resume during the week of July 7 after the Independence Day recess.

In order to maintain pressure for action in Congress, ACEC urges all Members to write to their Representatives to emphasize the need for a short-term patch and a long-term transportation funding solution.

Click here to access a sample email letter. ACEC encourages members to personalize the letter with firm-specific information.

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has introduced the Restoring Overtime Pay for Working Americans Act that would change the salary threshold and exemptions that determine whether employees who work more than 40 hours per week are eligible for overtime pay.

ACEC is surveying Member Firms to determine an appropriate stance on the issue.

The legislation would raise the salary threshold below which employees are automatically eligible for overtime pay from $455 per week to $1,090 per week and index it for inflation. The legislation would also increase the threshold for “highly-compensated employees,” who are typically exempt from overtime pay, from $100,000 to $125,000.

For employees whose salary is between these two thresholds, the bill would require that 50 percent of the employee’s duties must fall under one of the exemptions in the law—such as professional, executive, or administrative—in order for that employee to be exempt from overtime pay.

On March 13, 2014, President Obama issued an official memorandum directing the Department of Labor to review and revise rules governing overtime pay. Although the presidential memorandum does not specify changes to the rules, Senator Harkin’s legislation may reflect the direction DOL would like to take.

To view the bill, click here. To offer you thoughts on the legislation, contact ACEC Director of Tax and Regulatory Affairs Katharine Mottley.

ACEC has recognized five Member Firm employees as the 2014 Young Professionals of the Year. The annual awards program strives to promote the accomplishments of young engineers by highlighting their engineering contributions and the resulting impact on society.

The 2014 winners are Joseph Flaxbeard, senior project engineer, Lamp, Rynearson & Associates, Omaha, Neb.; Timothy Lum Yee, project engineer, HDR Engineering, Honolulu, Hawaii; Claudia Correa, Project Engineer, Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Elmwood Park, N.J.; Dan Phipps, senior engineer, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Lakewood, Colo.; and Christian Roche, project engineer, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Lawrenceville, N.J.

In addition, Flaxbeard was featured in a USA Today advertisement by National Engineers Week as one of the 2014 New Faces of Engineering.

For more information about the Young Professionals of the Year program, click here.

The American Council of Engineering Companies
1015 15th St., NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20005-2605
Phone: 202-347-7474 - Fax: 202-898-0068
www.acec.org - E-mail:acec@acec.org
Alan D. Crockett, Director, Communications
Gerry Donohue, Editor/Designer