Washington Report

AIA Gears Up for Economic Stimulus Debate

With the economic crisis as “Priority No. 1” for Washington policymakers, the AIA is preparing to launch a major advocacy effort to ensure that architects and the built environment are front and center in the debate over an economic stimulus plan.

“Without question, addressing our nation’s economic challenges will be the first order of business for the new Congress and the incoming administration,” notes Andrew Goldberg, Assoc. AIA, the AIA’s senior director of Federal Relations. “Since President-elect Obama has called on Congress to pass economic stimulus legislation ready for his signature immediately upon assuming office, it is critical that the AIA makes the case that any stimulus plan must include policies that invigorate the design and construction industry.”

With the AIA Architecture Billings Index recording its ninth consecutive month of declines, Goldberg says that it is imperative that the stimulus helps increase the flow of projects that have been delayed or suspended due to the credit crunch.

In advance of the launch of the AIA’s economic stimulus plan on Monday, members of the AIA Board of Directors took to Capitol Hill on December 3, meeting with legislators and explaining the role architecture plays in the overall economy. Board members also carried the message that Congress has a unique opportunity to pursue legislation that will result in greener buildings, vibrant communities, and a 21st century transportation network, benefiting both the economy and the environment.

Congress will return to Washington for a lame-duck session next week to debate a rescue package for the “Big Three” automakers, but Democrats are likely to wait until January – when they will have larger majorities – to pass a broader stimulus plan. Some news reports have indicated that the package may be as large as $800 billion, bigger than the Wall Street rescue plan President George W. Bush signed into law earlier this fall.

“No matter when this package comes up, the AIA will be ready to make the case that the stimulus plan should not only help build infrastructure, but build it better,” adds Goldberg.

Congressional Leaders Open Capitol Visitor Center
Capitol Architects Lead AIA Board Members on Tour

The Capitol Visitor Center – the largest addition to the U.S. Capitol in its 200-year history – was formally opened Tuesday by Congressional leaders, who praised it for providing new amenities for the three million people who visit the Capitol each year.

View of the Capitol dome from inside the new visitor center.

The center, which was designed by Baltimore firm RTKL Associates, features more than half a million square feet of space below the east front of the Capitol, with two movie theaters, an auditorium, a restaurant, and an exhibition hall featuring historical artifacts. The AIA donated one set of artifacts – the drafting tools used by Thomas Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol and one of the founders of the AIA.

Plans for the center floated in Congress for years but took on added urgency after the fatal shootings of two Capitol police officers inside the building in 1998. Security requirements following the 9/11 attacks and additions to the center made by Congress caused delays and budget overruns.

At the opening, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that "It is so appropriate that though long overdue this Capitol Visitor Center is ready for 2009, which is the 200th anniversary, the bicentennial, of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator." Earlier this year, Congress voted to name the center’s central space "Emancipation Hall," in honor of the slaves who built the Capitol.

The day after the opening, members of the AIA Board of Directors received a private tour of the center by Acting Architect of the Capitol Steven Ayers, AIA, and former Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman, FAIA, under whose direction construction began on the center in 2000. Board members praised the work for Ayers and Hantman, as well as RTKL architects Harold Adams, FAIA, and Rod Henderer, AIA, who led the design process.

For more information about the Capitol Visitor Center, please visit www.visitthecapitol.gov.

State and Local Update

Rhode Island and New York Tackle Challenging Budget Crises

Since the November elections, several state officials have projected new revenue forecasts that paint an even darker picture for state governments in 2009. At least 41 states faced mid-year budget gaps, and many governors are dealing with cutting more scheduled projects, such as transportation and public works programs in the upcoming fiscal year. In this issue, the State Relations team examines the budget issues in Rhode Island and New York, the third report in a series looking at how budget gaps are affecting architects across the nation.

"With the high unemployment rate and the likelihood of a continued slowdown in public projects, architecture is one of the first industries to be affected by Rhode Island's budget crisis," says Renee Wadsworth, manager, State Relations.

Rhode Island
Rhode Island has one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates, posting a rate tied with Michigan of 9.3 percent in October, which is well above the national average of 6.1 percent. Rhode Island’s economy has been weakened by its own housing market—one of the worst markets in the country. And with a 13.1 percent budget gap, lawmakers are trying to find ways to make up for the $430 million budget shortfall. In the past week, the House Finance Committee held special meetings to review the budget imbalance and proposed cuts from the public college system and aid for municipalities.

New York
New York, which had an initial $4.9 billion budget gap, faces an additional $630 million shortfall since officials enacted the current Budget. To deal with this gap, Governor David Paterson (D) called a one-day emergency session in November to cut $2 billion from the Budget, but the session failed to produce results after political squabbling. The state legislature projects the 2009-2010 deficits to be at least $15 billion. The governor has announced that he will deliver his 2009-2010 Budget on December 16 to get a head start on the process.

“Capital projects will be scaled back, and there will be cuts in the workforce, as well as in aid to localities,” says AIA New York State Executive Director Edward Farrell, who projects the budget cuts to directly affect architects in the state. “Since New York derives nearly 20 percent of its budget from the financial sector, [New York] will be one of the hardest hit states.”

The State Relations team will continue to look at how states’ budget situations will affect AIA members in the coming year. In the next issue, we will take a closer look at budget shortfalls in Alabama and New Jersey.

Civic Engagement Survey Reveals Outstanding Results

As part of the AIA Board of Directors’ commitment to increasing the number of architects running for political office and serving on appointed boards/commissions, the Board Advocacy Committee asked for a survey of AIA components to gauge the level of civically engaged architects across the country.

The purpose of the civic engagement survey was to help the AIA pinpoint the target audience for programs that give architects tools to get more engaged with their community. The Advocacy Committee hoped to find at least one percent of membership serving as citizen architects.

After contacting components and getting feedback from more than 50 percent, the Local Relations team identified approximately 825 members as serving in elected positions or on boards/commissions throughout the country.

Examples of the level of engagement include:

• 53 city council members
• 6 mayors
• 158 planning commissioners
• 84 architectural design review board members
• 54 zoning board members
• 36 green/environmental board members

“We are very excited to see this level of civic engagement in our membership, as architects play a pivotal role in community life. We want to create programs, networking opportunities, and support for architects who are and would like to be civically engaged,” says Patrick Onishi, AIA, Board Director, Pacific and Northwest region, and chair of the Advocacy Committee’s Civic Engagement/Citizen Architect Subcommittee.

For further information on the Civic Engagement/Citizen Architect program please e-mail Brooks Rainwater, director, Local Relations.

News Wrap: News From Around the Nation

States Hoping for a Bailout, Too: In addition to the $40 billion that state governments have already trimmed from their budgets, they are facing another $30 billion in deficits and are hoping for help from the federal government. No money has been officially pledged to state governments, but during the campaign, President-elect Barack Obama indicated his support for sending $50 billion to state governments – half for unspecified aid and half for infrastructure projects. Governors claim health care, specifically Medicaid, infrastructure, and job training/education programs are in dire need of help. Except for Vermont, states, unlike the federal government, are required to balance their budgets. To read more, click here.

Companies Say They Are Still Willing to Pay for Green: Panel Intelligence surveyed corporations around the country and found that despite the poor economy, companies are still increasingly investing in sustainability. Eighty-two percent of corporate sustainability executives indicated that energy efficiency is the “most important area of focus and investment” and expect spending on sustainability and green technology to increase 73 percent through 2010. To read more, click here.

Two Massachusetts State Senators Resign: Massachusetts State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson (D) resigned amid charges of federal bribery. Wilkerson held her position for almost 16 years, but lost her re-election bid earlier this month. After growing pressure from colleagues who were threatening a vote to remove her, Wilkerson submitted her resignation letter to Senate President Therese Murray (D). Just days earlier, another State Senator, J. James Marzilli (D), resigned after being indicted for accosting four women. To read more, click here.

Advocacy Outreach

Grassroots Advocacy: Working with the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress

Setting the trend for his administration, President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team launched Change.gov—the official Web site for the transition on November 5. The Web site focuses on many of the priority issues for the new administration, but it also features e-mail list-servs, a blog, and a place where visitors can share their vision with the new administration. This Web site exemplifies the growing grassroots movement, where more people can have input in how the new administration will do business. More likely than not, this cyber community-building will become the norm in future campaigns and in government outreach at all levels.

“We knew two things were certain about who would win the presidential election before election day,” explains Adam Melis, director of Advocacy Outreach. “First, clearly the winner would be a sitting U.S. Senator, but the winner—whomever he turned out to be—would also seek input from the citizenry on what they want as the new administration moves forward. Despite their differences, both candidates sought after a new way of doing business inside the beltway.”

Grassroots advocates have increased their voice in the past decade, in part due to the major reforms sponsored by Sen. McCain and President-elect Obama. Both the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 and the congressional ethics reform bill passed in 2007 were intended to decrease the importance of traditional lobbying activities and empower constituents’ voices in government.

This new environment presents an excellent opportunity for AIA members to engage returning and new members of Congress (there are at least 52 new members of the House and eight new Senators).

“We hope that our members will build strong relationships with their representatives and show them what architects can offer in terms of knowledge and experience,” says Melis.

The following are things you can do to help the AIA’s advocacy efforts:

• Get to know your member of Congress. Set up meetings with your member of Congress and identify other opportunities to meet with them informally.
• Respond to action alerts for key issues.
• Contribute to ArchiPAC.
• Discuss the issues in the The Angle Blog.
• Become a key contact. If you have a strong relationship with a member of Congress, let the AIA know so that we can call on you to make contact on key issues and seek legislative sponsorship of our bills.

To learn more about any of these opportunities or to be part of the AIA’s key contact network, please e-mail Adam Melis.

The Angle is published by the AIA Government Advocacy Team, 1735 New York Ave., NW, Washington DC, 20006.To contact The Angle, send an e-mail to angle@aia.org.

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