|
UPDATE
January 25, 2011
Citizens
for Transportation Mobility Referendum Campaign Update
GSPE
Members,
The July
31, 2012, regional transportation referenda, is one of the most
important votes related to our businesses in decades. It will
create jobs at a time when we most need them.
Transportation Infrastructure investments are not only good for
those amoung us that are in that market segment, but is is also good
for the rest of us because transportation drives investments in all
sorts of projects of which we are all engaged.
It is also
clear to anyone who has ever been stuck in traffic that the TSPLOST
is good for all Georgians.
Citizens
for Transportation Mobility, the advocacy group for metro Atlanta,
is ramping up early in 2012 to promote passage of the TSPLOST. Below
is a message from Dave Stockert, Chair of CTM which is running the
"Transform Metro Atlanta" campaign. Included are links to articles
about the ardent support for passage of the referendum by Gov.
Nathan Deal and Mayor Kasim Reed.
There is
also a reference to an educational powerpoint presentation that can
be used in making presentations to groups. My initial review of this
presentation is that it is tailored to the lay public - civic clubs,
homeowners associations, etc. We have developed a different
powerpoint that seems to be more appropriate for an "engineer"
audience; an audience with an elevated understanding of
the referenda. This one would be suitable to use in a lunch 'n learn
in your firm. We are still test driving this presentation.
Eventually we want to roll out a speakers bureau that reaches all of
the engineering/technical community.
In this
regard, we should set a goal of having each GSPE Chapter hold at
least one presentation on the referendum for the GSPE members.
The statewide campaign, organized by
the Georgia Transportation Alliance (an affiliate with the Georgia
Chamber of Commerce), goes by the name "Connect Georgia 2012". They
have put in place an organization (with strong staff) that is
working to get referenda passed in the other 11 regions in Georgia
outside of Metro Atlanta.
Connect Georgia
has linked with local Chambers, is conducting polling in those
regions, and is hiring additional staff to serve as coordinators in
the regions. We are coordinating with Connect Georgia to organize
"events" in these regions to make sure the engineering community is
fully engaged in these campaigns. Over the coming months, you will
hear more from us on the regional TSPLOST Campaigns and ways that
you can engage in them. In the interim, it would be a terrific
idea to scan the several web sites below that can provide more
information.
Also, we
are pleased to announced that Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia
Transportation Alliance Executive Director, Doug Callaway, will
address the state TSPLOST at our annual Building Georgia Legislative
Day to be held on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at the Georgia Freight
Depot. More information to come on this day at the Capitol in
February.
Tom Leslie
Georgia Engineering Alliance
Director of
External Affairs
404-521-2324
www.transformmetroatlanta.com
www.connectgeorgia2012.com
www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com
www.it3.ga.gov
UPDATE
August 8, 2011
Tri-State Water Supply Litigation:
Is
it different this time?
In July 2009
federal Judge Magnuson issued a draconian ruling that declared water
supply was not an authorized purpose of Lake Lanier and that
“incidental” water supply from the Lanier/Chattahoochee River above
Atlanta was limited to the year 1975 withdrawal levels. He gave
Alabama, Georgia, and Florida three years to work out a deal and get
Congress to approve it – a task that, heretofore, has proved
elusive.
Click Here to view the entire update.
LEGISLATIVE ALERT
February 16, 2011
4-Year Degree Bill Passes our of
Committee
and
Lobby Amendment Does Not Help
Design Professionals
HB 166, the 4-year degree bill passed out of the
House Regulated Industries Committee this morning with a unanimous
“do pass” vote. It now goes to the House Rules Committee to be
cleared for a floor vote. The Georgia Engineers Legislative
Coalition and the Board of Registration supported this bill for
Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Rep. Alan Powell of
Hartwell authored the bill.
Ethics/Lobbyist. Current law requires all people
who, “for compensation”, seek to “influence vendor decisions” to
register as a lobbyist and file frequent expense reports (even if
there are no ‘expenses’) with the state ethics commission. HB
232 came out of committee yesterday that would amend the ethics
law. Several folks have surmised that it ‘fixes’ the broad number
of engineers, and most other design professionals, that are required
to register as lobbyist under the 2010 law. HB 232, however, only exempts “a bona fide commission
salesperson who acts in that capacity with respect to governmental
procurement”.
If HB 232 exempts commission salespeople, then by the
same logic, it should also exempt those who market their firm’s
professional services. You should contact your Representative and
Senator and let them know what impact the current law has on your
company.
Previous Legislative Updates:
Legislative Update (2/3/2011)
Day 6 Update (1/29/2011)
New Vendor Lobbyist Requirements (1/26/2011)
Governor's State of the State (1/14/2011)
Gov. Deal Speaks on Transportation and Water (1/11/2011)
|
