Engineering Inc. - March/April 2004 - 11

funding for EPA's Leaking Underground Storage Tank program, to specific
political, economic and social which received $76 million. The Department
of Energy Environ- policies. mental Management Cleanup program was funded
at $7.6 billion, A total of $1 billion was appropriated for d ow n
slightly from F.Y. 2003. Funding of the Department of t h e program after
last-minute pressure Defense's DOD Base Realignment and Closure program
was from the administration convinced appro- reduced by nearly $200
million to $370 million, reflecting DOD's priators to increase funding
from the $650 intent to fund the program more through proceeds of property
sales million initially included in the conference than from
appropriations. report. The MCA funds will supplement other established
foreign assistance pro- grams, and the administration has indi- Rep. Jim
Kolbe, Push on Water Infrastructure cated its intent to increase MCA's
annual chairman, Appropriations Continues in 2004 funding to $5 billion
within three years. Subcommittee on Foreign ACEC and its coalition allies
are continuing to press Congress to act Operations on major water
infrastructure in 2004. T h e authorizing language did not cap The House
Committee on Water future appropriations. R e s o u r c e s and the
Environment has In discussions with Rep. Jim Kolbe R-Ariz. , chairman of
the approved H.R. 1560, which authorizes Appropriations Subcommittee on
Foreign Operations and a major $20 billion over five years for wastewater
author of the legislation, ACEC stressed the need for MCC to projects
around the country. The legisla- emphasize infrastructure development as a
necessary precursor to t i o n also includes an ACEC-backed economic
development, which in turn is a precursor to the program's amendment
offered by Rep. Sue Kelly R- other social priorities. N.Y. that would
require agencies using President Calls for Passage of funds under the SRF
program to procure ACEC-Supported Association Health Plans engineering
services using Qualifications- Rep. John Duncan Legislation to make it
easier for businesses, particularly small busi- Based Selection QBS .
R-Tenn. , chairman, nesses, to access affordable health-care coverage
received a boost dur- Further consideration of H.R. 1560 has House Water
Resources/ Environment ing President Bush's State of the Union speech in
late January. Dur- been stalled over differences on the extent
Subcommittee ing his speech to Congress and the nation, the President
stated that to which the federal prevailing wage law small businesses
should be able to band together and negotiate for the so-called
Davis-Bacon law applies to lower insurance rates so they can cover more
workers with health SRF loans. ACEC and members of the Water
Infrastructure Net- insurance. I urge you to pass association health
plans. work WIN coalition have been gathering signatures for a letter ACEC
continues to advocate passage of the Small Business Health from Water and
the Environment Subcommittee Chairman John Fairness Act of 2003, which
would create more opportunities for Duncan R-Tenn. to the Speaker of the
House urging him to bring businesses to pool together across state lines
through trade associa- H.R. 1560 to the House floor for a vote and not let
the Davis-Bacon tions to purchase health insurance from a provider, or
self-insure in issue sidetrack this important legislation. the same manner
as that of large employers and labor unions. ACEC In related news, the
Senate is expected to take up the biannual and its industry allies were
successful in securing passage of this asso- Water Resources Development
Act WRDA in 2004. Environ- ciation health plan AHP legislation in the
House, and are working ment and Public Works Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe
R- with the White House to put pressure on the Senate to act. Okla. has
indicated that WRDA will be the committee's next pri- In addition to the
AHP reference in the State of the Union ority upon completion of the
TEA-21 reauthorization bill. The address, President Bush emphasized his
support afterward, calling on House already has passed its version of
WRDA, which authorizes Congress to act on association health plans. This
is an important $4.6 billion for Corps of Engineers water infrastructure
projects, part of making sure the small-business sector of America is
strong including flood control, navigation and environmental restoration
and vibrant. The President added, There's no excuse for this bill
projects. not to go forward. It would be a major reform. It would help a
lot of Congress Funds Administration's small-business owners in the
country. Millennium Challenge Program ACEC currently offers its members
the benefits of an AHP, but The Millennium Challenge Account MCA was
authorized in the individual state regulations hamper its effectiveness.
In Maryland, F.Y. 2004 omnibus spending package passed in January 2004,
signal- f o r example, coverage is not FOR MORE NEWS ing a major shift in
the priorities and procedures that the U.S. gov- offered to ACEC member
firms ernment will employ in distributing foreign assistance, including w
i t h fewer than 50 employees. For weekly legislative news, funding for
infrastructure projects. The MCA will be managed by The bill would create
uniform reg- visit ACEC's Last Word online the newly formed Millennium
Challenge Corporation MCC , u l a t i o n s for all states and allow at
www.acec.org. which will distribute the funds based upon a country's
commitment firms of all sizes to be covered. M a r c h l April 2004
ENGINEERING INC. 1 1
Engineering Inc. - March/April 2004

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