Grassroots Push Needed for Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

Grassroots Push Needed for Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

Now is the time for a final grassroots push on the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced over the weekend that the House will vote on the bill by this Thursday. We hope  that she has the votes to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but the situation is very fluid and could change in an instant, so securing as many votes as possible is critical to ensuring that this vital piece of legislation passes and goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

ACEC National issued an Action Alert last week, calling on our members to reach out to their Congressional delegation. Access the advocacy site here, where you can follow a straightforward, step-by-step process for sending a personalized email to your U.S. Representative.

If you need help connecting with your U.S. Representative, contact Abbie Goodman

ACEC's advocacy team is working the halls of the Congressional office buildings, shoring up support where necessary, providing data and information to Congressional offices, and keeping on the pressure to pass the bill before midnight on Thursday, when the FAST Act expires.

If you want recent evidence of the power of grassroots advocacy, look no farther than the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House of Representatives last week. Included in the bill is an ACEC provision that will provide a waiver from the FAR Credit Clause for engineering firms with forgiven PPP loans. 

ACEC was able to insert that provision due to a concerted effort by the federal advocacy team, our MOs, and hundreds of member firms like yours.

Thanks to that grassroots advocacy effort, Representative Anthony Brown (D-MD) sponsored an amendment to the NDAA that states that “no cost reduction or cash refund shall be due to the Department of Transportation or to a State transportation department, transit agency, or other recipient of assistance” on the basis of forgiveness of the payroll costs of a covered PPP loan.

Four Representatives co-sponsored the amendment—Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)—and it passed by voice vote.

We have a bipartisan group of 10 Senators who are champions for our waiver, so there’s a good chance the Senate will include the provision in its version of the NDAA or will embrace the House version when the legislation goes to conference.

All of our advocacy has been leading up to this week.  It’s time to make your voice heard.

Have a great week,  
Linda Bauer Darr, President & CEO

American Council of Engineering Companies
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