A key year in advancing AIA’s legislative agenda

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/articles\/6540315-a-look-at-aias-legislative-victories-in-20"]],["s"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.fema.gov\/grants\/mitigation\/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities"]],["b"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/press-releases\/6580303-aia-praises-legislation-bolstering-retirem"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.aia.org\/press-releases\/6573858-aia-study-examines-impact-of-student-debt"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"After a strong 2022 when AIA claimed "],[0,[0],1,"several legislative victories"],[0,[],0," on Capitol Hill, 2023 is shaping up to be\nanother pivotal year in advancing AIA\u2019s public policy agenda."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA\u0027s 2023 Lobby Day takes place on Wednesday, February 15, and will\nfocus on two bills: the Democracy in Design Act and the Resilient AMERICA Act."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA actively seeks a bipartisan and bi-cameral bill that would\nprevent the federal government from establishing a mandate on architectural\ndesign style; the passage of the Democracy in Design Act is a critical legislative goal for AIA\nthis year."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cIf passed, future Administrations could not mandate a preference\non a design style or a prohibition on a design style. AIA thinks it is\nparticularly important to depoliticize architectural design,\u201d said Kara\nKempski, "],[0,[1],1,"s"],[0,[],0,"enior director of Federal\nRelations and Strategic Alliances at AIA. \u201cThose design choices\nshould be left to the community stakeholders who will use the building and the\ndesign team working on the project.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The Resilient AMERICA Act, another bipartisan bill, would increase\nfederal investment in pre-disaster mitigation through FEMA\u2019s "],[0,[2],1,"Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities"],[0,[],0," (BRIC) program."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cAs important as it is to clean up after natural disasters, AIA\u2019s long-time position is that we should\nbe spending more time and resources before disasters occur to better mitigate\nthe damage, especially in communities that are least able to pay for those recovery\nefforts,\u201d said Kempski."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA\u2019s Lobby Day, says Kempski, emphasizes that passing these\nlegislative measures equates to smart governance. \u201cThis is the appropriate role\nof the federal government, not mandating design styles, not waiting for\ndisaster to strike, but helping communities do what they need to do to be\nbetter prepared (and to better insulate from threats) in the future.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"As of now, more than 250 AIA members are signed up for the first\nin-person AIA Lobby Day since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"While Kempski emphasized that virtual Lobby Days have benefited AIA, the\nin-person event \u201cprovides additional opportunities for members to get\nfellowship with one another and quality time with their elected officials.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThere\u2019s nothing like coming to Capitol Hill and experiencing the\nenergy and earnestness that exists in the national complex,\u201d she said. \u201cVirtual\nmeetings still have a place, but there\u2019s nothing like being in Washington, D.C., to advance your federal\nadvocacy agenda.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[3],1,"Tax Issues"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"After the conclusion of AIA\u2019s Lobby Day, AIA plans to devote\nresources to a few major legislative areas for the remainder of the\nyear. First, there are several tax opportunities that AIA would like to see\naddressed and implemented."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To start, there is a current issue with research and development\n(R\u0026D) expenses relating to when firms can claim the deduction. Firms\nwere previously able to deduct those expenses in the calendar year they were\nincurred, but now that deduction needs to be \u201camortized\u201d - or spread - over\nfive years."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThis is a challenge because that increases the tax burden for\nfirms and can disincentivize investment in research. This is something Congress\nneeds to fix urgently and make retroactive,\u201d said Kempski, adding that there is bipartisan support\nfor fixing this issue."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Additionally, there is an opportunity to expand the historic\npreservation tax credit used by architecture firms of all\nsizes. Kempski says there is bipartisan support for this initiative as well.\n\u201cThere are efforts to expand that tax credit for smaller projects, increasing\nthe credit for projects under $2.5 million, which expands the reach of the\ncredit to more communities and design firms.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Lastly, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) significantly changed\nthe 179D tax deduction, and implementing that will be important for\narchitects. Kempski said AIA would continue to work with\nmembers to ensure that the impact of those changes is fully understood and as favorable\nas possible for architecture firms."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[3],1,"Additional Legislative Focuses"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Another major focus for AIA revolves around supporting students interested\nin architecture by addressing student loan debt."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThere are a lot of very talented students who look at\narchitecture and don\u2019t think that the math makes sense with how much it costs\nto get a degree, all the additional requirements for licensure, and then\nthe starting salary rates,\u201d said Kempski, noting that the recently passed "],[0,[4],1,"Retirement Parity for Student Loans Act"],[0,[],0," is a step in the right direction."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Kempski said that AIA commissioned a survey in 2022 to give an\nupdated view of the impact of student loan debt, specifically on\narchitecture students and recent graduates. With the "],[0,[5],1,"results of this survey"],[0,[],0," released late last year, AIA will work with the new Congress on\nlegislation to address the issue. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Additionally, AIA will focus on creating additional affordable\nhousing units. According to Low Income Housing Coalition data, roughly four affordable housing units are available for every\nten low-income families. AIA had called for more affordable housing development\nin the Buildings Are Infrastructure campaigns last year. While some investments\npassed in the previous year to support the weatherization and\nelectrification of homes, Kempski notes that AIA wants to see affordable\nhousing included more robustly. As such, AIA is calling for the federal government to increase\nits investment in affordable housing supply this year. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[3],1,"Grant money"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the\nInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), AIA has been working with\nmembers to ensure that the grant money supports the work AIA member firms are\ndoing across the country."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cIn both the IIJA and the IRA, many of the grant opportunities\navailable for the building sector are competitive grants, meaning that\napplications are necessary. We have had and will continue to host a series of\nwebinars to push the word out to AIA components and members that when working\nwith clients, there\u0027s money out there,\u201d said Kempski."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The IRA was the most significant federal investment in\nclimate action in American history, according to Kempski, but that will only be\ntrue if the money is actually spent. \u201cThe more people use these tax\ncredits and take advantage of these competitive grants; then the\nlegislation can work as intended. AIA members and components are uniquely\npositioned to help ensure communities across the country are reaping the benefit of these\ninvestments.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"AIA will provide additional updates on legislative progress\nthroughout the year."]]]]}