Civil Engineer Exemption Bill Moves to Senate Floor

Last week, SB 396 moved out of Senate Commerce without objection. The bill as filed would limit the civil exemption to the following occupancy classifications and max occupancies:

Factory or Industrial (For Pump Houses and Water Treatment Facilities) - No Limit
Storage (Excluding Parking Garages) - 49 max occupants (24,500sqft)
High Hazard - 49 max occupants (9,800sqft)
Utility and Miscellaneous - 49 max occupants (14,700sqft)

The bill would also completely remove occupancy classifications such as Mercantile, Residential, and Business from the civil exemption and relegates civil engineers to square footage thresholds listed current law allowing ANY person to act as a designer.

For months, we have been working with AIA to develop limitations to the current exemption that establish specific boundaries within which a civil engineers safely and competently design certain types of buildings and continue to submit plans to the State Fire Marshal as the POR. We have offered multiple limitations proposals which have all been rejected by the architects.

The bill was filed on Tuesday and heard the next day in committee which was a planned move by the architects so they could have 50 architects at the committee while we and LES were left scrambling to get out a call to action 12 hours before the bill was scheduled to be heard. I believe we still presented a telling case as to what extent the exemption should be limited if no public safety concern(s) have been presented and the impacts such an action will have on designer availability and free enterprise. While our testimony resonated with committee members, an agreement to let the bill out of committee without objection had clearly been made prior to the hearing.

SB 396 is scheduled to be heard on the Senate Floor Tuesday, April 2. We are still working with the bill author and the architects to amend the bill into a posture we can agree with. However, and until such amendment is adopted, we will remain in full opposition to the bill. Information and updates will be shared with members as it is received, but based on what we know now, be on the lookout for a Call to Action email Monday with instructions on how to contact the full Senate body expressing your opposition to the bill.

Our collective voice is strong and impactful so thank you for your past and future efforts to support ACECL's advocacy efforts that protect the business of engineering.

If you have any questions on this legislative matter or any other legislative instruments, please contact me at bdirmann@acecl.org.

Celebrating "The Doing" of Engineering Excellence

Having experienced just my second ACECL Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, I can honestly say there is no other event in the state that celebrates engineering quite like it. Recognizing and showcasing awesome engineering projects is certainly the purpose of the event, but there is another purpose that I believe is just as impactful... celebrating the client.

This year, in particular, I noticed a different excitement and sense of pride expressed by the clients who received awards. Many of the clients recognized this year where public owners who were represented by elected officials and/or public officials. In today's divisive political environment, public officials too often and sometimes unfairly find themselves under public scrutiny when things don't go well but too rarely receive public praise when things go right. This night they were all smiles as they walked across the stage to received their well deserved award.

In my remarks at the gala, I quoted Leonardo da Vinci who once said, “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. I thought his words were fitting for this night as we recognized so many projects that started with a public governing body or official having the political courage to actually DO these projects. The type of leadership and collaboration we recognized at this year's gala will need to be replicated over and over again if we, as a state, will ever begin to catchup on our infrastructure needs.

Congratulations again to this years award recipients, especially T. Baker Smith and Thibodaux Regional Wellness Center & Sports Complex the 2023 Grand Conceptor Award recipient. I would also like to recognize Gresham Smith, McKim & Creed, and T. Baker Smith who will all be receiving awards for their projects at the ACEC (National) Gala this May.

Thank you to all of our event sponsors who make an event like this gala possible. Special shout out to this year's Platinum Sponsors, Gulf South Technology Solutions and Huval & Associates. And as always, thank you to Janet and Haleigh for putting on another wonderful and elegant event. Like I said, there is nothing like!

March 31, 2024

ACECL BOARD OF GOVERNORS

PRESIDENT & CEO MESSAGE