Call to Action: R&D Amortization

ACEC National is asking all state member organizations and their member firms to reach out to their House delegation members urging them to support HR 7024. The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (HR 7024), which includes a delay in the R&D amortization requirement until 2026 is expected to be voted on by the House sometime later this evening or tonight.

Though the resolution does not include a full repeal of the R&D amortization, the delay will provide ACEC with additional time full repeal of the amortization and will also give firms the relief they need to continue investing in jobs and innovation.

You can contact your House Congressional member by clicking the "Action Alert" button below. 

Governor Edwards Transition Team Reports

As mentioned in the last month's newsletter, ACECL and several members firms had the honor of representing the consultant engineering community on Governor Jeff Landry's Transition Team, specifically the Infrastructure and Coast & Environment Councils. 

The Governor's Office recently releases the reports that each issue council produced. You can access the Infrastructure and Coast & Environment Council reports by clicking the buttons below. As you will see, each report identifies opportunities for improvement and recommended action items that will create positive change for the Louisiana.

Having served on the Infrastructure Council, I wanted to note the council decided to focus its recommendations on the following three prioritize issues that must be addressed in order to improve Louisiana's infrastructure systems and project delivery processes:

• Transform DOTD into Louisiana’s Most Effective State Agency
• Implement a Statewide Master Plan for Integrated Transportation
• Establish Sustainable Funding for Infrastructure 

ACECL will continue to work closely with Governor Landry, his staff and agency heads on legislation and other policy changes identified in the reports. If you have any suggestions or comments related to the council reports, please email at bdirmann@acecl.org. 

Corps of Engineers Increases Fee Cap

At the end of last year, the National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law by President Biden. The new law includes ACEC-backed language that raises the existing 6% fee cap for work with the Corps of Engineers and other Defense Department agencies to 10%.

This long-awaited reform, replacing a decades-old cap, will provide more negotiation room for firms working with the Corps to secure fees that reflect their value to federal clients.

Though the is just one federal agency, we will leverage this win to continue to advocate for fee increases at both the federal and state levels. In 2024, ACECL will be working diligently with public owners to increase current compensations rates that are simply not keep pace with the increased "cost to do business" our member firms are experiencing.