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with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), is designed to support young people pursuing engineering careers. When implemented, engineering graduates will be eligible for up to $2,000 in student loan forgiveness for each of five years of full-time work in the profession. Be better at it. At URS, we share ACEC’s commitment to excellence and offer our congratulations on a century of accomplishments. We believe success comes from a determination to do it better. Which is why, whether it’s an airport, highway, light rail line, or water treatment plant, more people in the Infrastructure sector are turning to us to get it done. We are the new URS. Prompt Payment Legislation In the early 1980s, ACEC released a study showing that A/E firms had to wait an average of two and a half months to be paid by the federal government, forcing some firms to borrow funds to meet their payrolls. With the prime interest rate at the time exceeding 20 percent, ACEC took the industry concern to Congress. In 1982, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed the Prompt Payment Act, which mandates that the federal government pay on time or pay interest penalties on the late payments. Fair Labor Standards Act Reform ACEC achieved substantial changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act in 2004 to more clearly delineate exempt and nonexempt employees in the Act’s minimum wage and overtime requirements. The “white collar” exemptions, in particular, which had exempted persons “employed in a bona fide executive, administrative or professional capacity” from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements, caused enormous difficulties for engineering employers. ACEC successfully argued that regulations governing overtime and minimum wage eligibility had not been revised in more than 50 years, did not reflect the realities of the modern workplace, and left too much room for interpretation, hence resulting in unfair and costly enforcement actions against many Member Firms. ACEC-backed new regulations simplified compliance, ensured fair treatment for employees and protected firms from burdensome enforcement actions and lawsuits. Tort Reform In 1986, ACEC created the American Tort Reform Association, an organization dedicated to limiting liability on actions over which firms have limited or no responsibility. ACEC also helped to achieve passage of major tort reform legislation in 2005 when President George Bush signed into law the Class Action Fairness Act, designed to stem the tide of unfair lawsuits against Member Firms. With Member Firms increasingly targeted in unscrupulous lawsuits, the new law responded to abuses, including frivolous claims, gaming of the system to keep cases in lenient state courts, and collusive statements. The law allows multistate class-action litigants to move their cases from state to federal court, thereby avoiding certain courts known for antibusiness jurors and outrageous jury awards. The Council continues to urge further tort reform, including legislation to curb runaway medical malpractice awards that drive up the cost of health insurance and measures to establish mandatory sanctions against lawyers who file repeated frivolous lawsuits. n POWER INFRASTRUCTURE FEDERAL INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL URSCORP.COM 42 ENGiNEEriNG iNc. march / april 2009

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2009

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