Missouri Legislative Session Close to an End

Transcription

1 March - April, 2016 Issue Missouri Legislative Session Close to an End There are just 2 weeks left of the legislation session. Here is a brief overview of some of the bills we are tracking and where they are now. For more information, please go to our website at to review all the bills we are tracking. CONTRACTS / DESIGN-BUILD BILLS HB 2376 by Hough - Modifies provisions of law relating to Design/Build and construction management contracting. Status: It was heard in Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee on 4/26/16 and was voted do pass on 4/26/16. - Support SB 781 by Schatz - Relating to design-build contracts for water and wastewater projects. Status: It was referred to House General Laws Committee on 4/26/16. - Support SB 789 by Wasson - Modifies provisions relating to design-build and construction management at risk contracts entered into by political subdivisions. Status: It is #19 on Senate Informal Perfection Calendar on 4/28/16. - Support ENVIRONMENTAL / ENERGY BILLS HB 1713 by Remole - Requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide information regarding approving advanced technologies to upgrade existing lagoon-based wastewater systems to meet any new or existing discharge requirements. Status: It was heard in Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee on 4/12/16 and was voted do pass on 4/26/16. - Support SB 1028 by Silvey - Modifies provisions relating to ratemaking for investor-owned utilities for capital improvements. Status: It is #59 on Senate Informal Perfection Calendar on 4/25/16. - Support TRANSPORTATION BILLS SB 623 by Libla - Raises the tax on motor fuel from 17 cents to 22.9 cents per gallon. Status: It was heard in House Transportation Committee on 4/26/16. - Strongly Support SB 861 by Wieland - Modifies provisions relating to tax incentives for port facility capital improvements plus added P3 amendment. Status: It was in executive session and voted do pass in House Commerce Committee on 4/27/16. - Support ACEC/MO Transportation Day on May 18 Please join us for ACEC/MO's annual Transportation Day with MoDOT and FHWA staff on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City. Below is the

2 agenda for the meeting: 9:30 a.m. Registration & Coffee 10:00 a.m. ACEC/MO Transportation Committee Meeting 11:30 a.m. Reception for all participants and guests 12:00 p.m. Lunch & Speakers: Patrick McKenna, Director, MoDOT; and Stephen Miller, Member, Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission Registration information was recently ed out and is posted on our website. Please put this date on your calendar and plan to attend. ACEC Midwest States Conference Set for June 2-4 in Branson We have made final plans for the ACEC Midwest States Conference to be held on June 2-4, 2016 at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson, MO. Join members from around the state and with ACEC Oklahoma and ACEC Kansas members. You will have the opportunity to network with your peers, pick up PDH's, and relax with your family. Welcoming Reception CEO Roundtable Discussion State Board / Membership Meetings Dinner / Show at Showboat Branson Belle Happiness at Work: Fundamentals of Competitive Advantage Seminar Breakfast / Lunch Speakers & Topics Golf Tournament at Branson Hills Golf Course Multi-State Reception / Banquet and Comedian Joey I.L.O. All the events will be held at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson, MO. A sleeping room block for the ACEC Midwest States Conference will be held until May 3, Contact the hotel at (888) or (417) for a rate of $172 for Mountain View/Lake View or $235 for Lake Front rooms and tell then you are with the ACEC Midwest States. You can also book your room online. Go to our website for a printable registration brochure or contact our office at Important Reminders... * ACEC/MO Member Firms paying their dues on a quarterly or semiannual basis must have all dues paid by June 30, 2016 (the last day of our fiscal year). * ACEC/MO Committee Assignment Preference forms were recently ed out and are due by May 5, 2016 to be considered for an ACEC/MO committee in * ACEC/MO Board of Directors Ballots were also ed to firm voting members and are due by May 20, Election of ACEC/MO Board of Directors The ACEC/MO Nominating Committee submitted the following slate of board of directors for A official ballot was sent to ACEC/MO voting representatives. If you received that ballot, please fill out and return to the ACEC/MO office by May 20. All of the nominees will then be sworn in at the ACEC/MO Board / Membership Meeting on June 3 at the Chateau on the Lake, Branson.

3 Chairman Daniel R. Meckes, P.E. Chairman-Elect Michael S. DeBacker, P.E. Vice Chairman Joseph G. Hagerty Secretary/Treasurer Stephen R. Wells Directors: Abe A. Adewale, P.E. Buddy D. Desai, P.E. Stephen D. Hicks, P.E. Michael L. Odrowski, P.E. Paul H. Reitz, P.E. Timothy J. Ross, P.E. ACEC Director David A. Diestelkamp, P.E. ACEC Alternate Director Robert L. Goodwillie, P.E. * Officers/Directors listed in bold/italic are new to the Board next year. Sign Up Now for ACEC's National Committees ACEC's committees are a primary means of carrying out functions that advance the Council's Strategic Plan. Committees undertake a wide range of activities, including recommending legislation and regulations to promote and protect the engineering industry; providing essential information on engineering business issues; reviewing and recommending business products and services that benefit member firms; and overseeing the performance of ACEC programs. ACEC's committees are either "open" or "appointed". Open committees are generally market-related, and any employee of any member firm may join an open committee at any time of year. To join, start the process by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page - this takes you to a log-in page (log-in is required because ACEC membership is a prerequisite for joining any committee.) "Appointed" committees are generally smaller with narrower scope; an individual interested in an appointed committee may apply during January-March of each year for appointment by the ACEC Chair-elect or other responsible official. To apply for an appointed committee, start the process by clicking on the same link at the bottom of this page. For committees not appointed by the ACEC Chair-elect (such as the Trusts or Coalition committees), visit the committee's respective web page(s). You may click on any of the Committees listed below to view information on that committee. Open Committees: Business Resources and Education Committee; Contract Documents Committee; Environment & Energy Committee; Federal Agencies & Procurement Advocacy Committee; Infrastructure Sustainability Committee; International Committee; Management Practices Committee; Membership Committee (Includes: Mergers and Acquisitions Task Force); Public Relations Committee; Risk Management Committee; Tax and Regulatory Affairs Committee; Transportation Committee (Includes: Transportation Steering Committee; ACEC/AASHTO Joint Committee) Appointed Committees: ACEC Business Insurance Trust; ACEC Life/Health Insurance Trust; ACEC Retirement Trust; ACEC/PAC Champions Committee; Budget Committee; CAMEE Executive Committee; CASE Contracts Committee; CASE Executive Committee; CASE Guidelines Committee; CASE Program & Communications Committee; CASE Toolkit Committee; Chairmen Emeritus Committee; Coalition Leaders Steering Committee; Committee of Fellows; COPS Business Practices Committee; COPS Steering Committee; Engineering Excellence Awards Committee; Fellows of ACEC; Government Advocacy Coordinating Committee; Land Development Executive Committee; Life Fellows of ACEC; Nominating Committee; Past Chairmen Fellows Committee; Planning Cabinet; Professional Conduct Committee; Research and Management Foundation; Small Firm Council Steering Committee; Tellers Committee Click here if you would like to join an ACEC committee. If you have a question, please contact Mary Ann Emely at or memely@acec.org.

4 ACEC/MO Future Leaders Academy Highlights ACEC/MO kicked off the 7th Annual Future Leaders Academy in March and had the second session in April. We have a full class of 20 members attending the programs, which will conclude in May. Topics of discussion for these 2 sessions included: Leading with Purpose and Living with Balance, Win the War for People, Governmental Affairs, Establishing a Firm Culture for Business Development, Contract Language / Risk, Economics of Private Practice, and the Business Acquisition Process. The speakers all did an excellent job and the participants are enjoying the program so far. Once we complete this program, we will begin plans for the program in If you are considering sending someone from your firm, please put them on the list now so you'll have a spot secured. Scott Heidner, J.D., Gaches Braden & Associates, is the Moderator for our Future Leaders Academy. As part of the program, the participants go around the table and introduce each person, their firm, and a little about them. T. DeWayne Ables, Pioneer IQ, gave presentations on Leading with Purpose and Living with Balance; and Win the War for People. Scott Heidner (right), Gaches Braden & Associates, and Steve Hall (left), Vice President of Government Affairs, ACEC, were part of the Governmental Affairs presentation. Representative Mike Bernskoetter was also part of the Governmental Affairs presentation. Mike Lally, P.E., R.G., Olsson Associates, gave a presentation on Establishing a Firm Culture for Business Development.

5 Robert Staed, Greyling Insurance Brokerage, gave a presentation on Contract Language / Risk with Various Project Delivery Methods. Dr. Janet Sanders, The Clayton Consulting Group, Inc., gave a presentation on The Business Acquisition Process. Poster Contest Highlights from TEAM Conference Twelve students from University of Missouri Columbia and St Louis University competed in a poster contest at the annual TEAM Conference in St Louis in March. Research projects covered a wide range of transportation topics including safety, materials, component performance and non-destructive investigation. The posters were all very interesting and it gave the conference participants the opportunity to see new technology first hand and to discuss the work with the researchers. The students enjoyed meeting with the conference attendees. Two prizes were sponsored by ACEC/MO. The winners were: First Place: Alaa Elsisi; Evaluation of Finger Plate and Flat Plate Connection Design Second Place: James Dawson; Use of Infrared Thermography for the Detection of Subsurface Damage in Bridges The contest was facilitated by Charlie Nemmers and Henry Brown at UMC. Jill Hancock with Penman & Winton Consulting assisted the students with set up. Chris Fitzpatrick, a graduate student at UMC, coordinated the students' activities throughout the day. MoDOT's Lori Greer was the TEAM representative. The judges were Dennis Heckman - MODOT, Sara Nelson - TWM, and Jesse Jonas - St. Louis Co. Tim Ross with GBA provided additional coordination.

6 ACEC Annual Convention & Legislative Summit Well Attended ACEC/MO had a delegation of members that attended the ACEC Annual Convention and Legislative Summit held in Washington, D.C. on April 17-20, As part of the convention, the Missouri delegation met with Sen. Roy Blunt, Sen. Claire McCaskill, Rep. Sam Graves, Rep. Billy Long, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, and Rep. Jason Smith. Items of discussion included: reauthorization of federal programs to support airport improvement projects, pending legislation to meet the nation's energy and water needs, as well as industry concerns over proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Attending the ACEC Legislative Summit (l to r): Steve Wells, Dan Meckes, Linda Moen and Bruce Wylie. Tim Ross and Kevin Wallace also attended Capitol Hill visits. Members attended a legislative meeting with Congressman Sam Graves. L to r: Linda Moen, Dan Meckes, Kevin Wallace, Steve Wells, Tim Ross and Bruce Wylie. ACEC/MO members got together for dinner at the

7 ACEC conference (l to r): Kevin Wallace, Bruce Wylie, Dave Diestelkamp, Linda Moen, Dan Meckes, Steve Wells and Ed Mulcahy. New Member Firm Welcomed! The ACEC/MO Board of Directors approved the following new member firm since our last newsletter. We want to welcome them to the Council and hope you will too. Lee Engineering and Associates, L.L.C E. Woodhurst Drive, Suite D200, Springfield, MO Phone: (417) Member News Hg Consult, Inc. announced the recent hiring of Jerry Mugg, P.E., as a corporate Vice President and Manager of the firm's Denver, Colorado office. Jerry can be contacted at jmugg@hgcons.com or by phone at (720) Horner & Shifrin, Inc. announced that Christy Willson, P.E., has joined the firm as Project Manager in the Environmental Engineering Department. Calendar of Events May 18 - ACEC/MO Transportation Day, Jefferson City May ACEC/MO Future Leaders Academy, Independence June ACEC Midwest States Conference, Branson (Kansas, Missouri & Oklahoma) August 19 - ACEC/MO Summer Meeting, Jefferson City October 19 - ACEC/MO EEA Project Entry Deadline October ACEC Fall Conference, Colorado Springs, CO November 4 - ACEC/MO Fall Meeting, Jefferson City November 16 - ACEC/MO EEA Judging, Chesterfield * Newly added events are in italics.