A look at AIA’s legislative victories in 2022

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.quinnevans.com\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/modernizecongress.house.gov\/committee-activity\/business-meetings\/business-meeting-to-discuss-recommendations"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"One of AIA\u0027s key goals is to continue to be an\neffective voice for the profession on Capitol Hill. In 2022, AIA member testimony and an active\npresence in congressional offices moved the needle on issues critical to the\nprofession. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In June, bipartisan leaders in Congress authorized the\nFederal School Safety Clearinghouse, which passed as part of the Bipartisan\nSafer Communities Act. This was an AIA and member-backed priority since 2018\nand its approval marks a significant legislative victory for the organization. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA, in conjunction with the member-led Committee on\nArchitecture for Education (CAE), has been and continues to be active on school\nsafety issues. The Clearinghouse resources that AIA and its members support are\nnot a mandate for schools to follow, but best practices and other information\nfor them to make informed decisions that best fit the needs of their schools\nand community. The clearinghouse does require stable funding, and so\nCongressional authorization helps ensure that it will continue to operate\nthrough future administrations. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"School design cannot prevent all incidents of violence, but\ndesign best practices can help craft safe and welcoming learning spaces that\nencourage diversity, equity, and inclusion for the well-being of students and\neducators. AIA is a steadfast partner in the pursuit of safe learning\nenvironments for all students everywhere and the authorization of this\nrepository ensures that these best practices will remain available to schools\nfor years to come. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In July, The House Select Committee on Congressional\nModernization unanimously approved a slate of recommendations, including many\nof the recommendations made by Katie Irwin, AIA, in testimony, she delivered\nbefore the Select Committee in March. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Though Select Committee recommendations are not binding,\nthis was a sign Irwin\u2019s testimony, on behalf of AIA, was heard and heeded on\nCapitol Hill as the Congressional Members consider ways to update and improve\ntheir office space and practices."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Select Committee-Approved recommendations made by Irwin\ninclude:"]]],[3,"ul",[[[0,[],0,"\nImprove navigating the campus: To improve\nwayfinding, the House should consult with internal and external experts to\nassess and implement navigation improvements necessary to make it easier for\nvisitors to find their way through the Capitol campus."]],[[0,[],0,"\nDigital displays for hearings and events: The\nHouse should provide digital signage displaying information about current\npublic hearings and events."]],[[0,[],0,"Inventory existing space: The House should study\nthe use of its space to understand how it is used, who controls access to\nvarious spaces, and how it is managed in the House and the Capitol."]],[[0,[],0,"Offer expanded options for meeting space: The\nHouse should establish and designate shared meeting spaces that will allow for\nmembers and staff to use on a drop-in basis and not require reservations."]],[[0,[],0,"Portal for all reservable space: The House\nshould develop an app and expand the current web portal to include all\nreservable space in the Capitol and House Office Buildings."]],[[0,[],0,"Flexible and modern member office templates: The\nChief Administrative Officer (CAO) on Capitol Hill should provide a broad menu\nof furniture options and suggestions for member office space that considers\nmodern and flexible design and function concepts."]],[[0,[],0,"Flex hearing space: The House should identify\nand develop a space that can be used to hold hearings with alternative seating\nformats such as a roundtable style."]]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Irwin, a senior associate at "],[0,[0],1,"Quinn Evans"],[0,[],0,", provided the bipartisan\ncommittee with a starting point to assess and develop improvements to the U.S.\nCapitol and its campus. The full set of adopted recommendations is available "],[0,[1],1,"here"],[0,[],0,".\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Additionally, the Congressional passage of the Inflation\nReduction Act (H. R. 5376) in August, which addresses AIA\u2019s policy priorities\nincluding provisions for building codes, climate tax incentives, and affordable\nhousing, is a major legislative win for the organization. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Key AIA provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act:"]]],[3,"ul",[[[0,[],0,"Building Energy Codes: $330 million in grants to\nstates and local governments to adopt the latest energy codes that meet or\nexceed the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and\/or ASHRAE\n90.1-2019. It also provides an additional $670 million for states and\nlocalities to adopt and implement zero-energy stretch codes."]],[[0,[],0,"Federal Building Energy Efficiency: $250 million\nfor General Services Administration (GSA) facility retrofits, and $2.15 billion\nfor the Federal Buildings Fund, to be used by the GSA to acquire and install\nlow-embodied carbon materials and products for use in the construction or\nalteration of buildings. The legislation also includes $975 million for GSA to\ninvest in emerging and sustainable technologies."]],[[0,[],0,"\nGreenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: $7 billion in\ncompetitive grants to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy\nor benefit from zero-emission technologies, including distributed technologies\non residential rooftops, and to carry out other greenhouse gas emission\nreduction activities."]],[[0,[],0,"Rebates for Home Energy\nEfficiency\/Electrification: $4.3 billion to state energy offices to develop a\nHOMES rebate program, which will reimburse homeowners and aggregators for\nwhole-house energy savings improvements. The legislation also provides an\nadditional $4.275 billion to state energy offices to establish a\nhigh-efficiency electric home rebate program. The rebates may be used for\nappliance upgrades, such as heat pumps, electric stovetops\/ovens, and\nnon-appliance upgrades, such as insulation, electric wiring, and ventilation."]],[[0,[],0,"Tax Incentives: The legislation also makes\nsignificant changes to multiple tax incentives, including the Energy Efficient\nCommercial Building Tax Deduction (179D), the Energy Efficient Home Improvement\nCredit (25C), the New Energy Efficient Home Credit (45L), and the Research and\nDevelopment tax credit (R\u0026D)."]]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA EVP\/Chief Executive Officer Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE, said\nthat she is \u201cproud of the work AIA has done to get Congress to include language\naddressing our legislative priorities.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cAIA\u2019s sustained commitment to advocating for legislation\naddressing greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment as well as\nresilient and affordable communities is evident throughout this bill. Though\nthe climate crisis still requires our unrelenting attention, this legislation\nis a step in the right direction,\u201d she said. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"With the 2022 election impending, AIA urges its members to\nelect candidates who look to protect the interests of architects around the world.\nMake your voice heard on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. "]]]]}