Engineering Inc - May/June 2017 - 8

LEGISLATIVEACTION

A

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / STAFF / GETTYIMAGES

BLOOMBERG / CONTRIBUTOR / GETTYIMAGES

CEC has acted
by President Trump and members
on multiple
of Congress from both parties," the
fronts in recent
letter states. ACEC and its stakeholder
weeks to
allies have secured over 150 bipartisan
advance robust
signatures, with the goal of finalizing the
infrastructure
letter before the end of May.
funding and
ACEC also joined 33 other
a permanent
organizations, including the U.S.
Highway Trust Fund (HTF) solution.
Chamber of Commerce, the National
During ACEC's 2017 Annual
Association of Manufacturers and the
Convention and Legislative Summit
American Association of State Highway
in late April,
and Transportation
ACEC Citizen
Officials, on another
Lobbyists urged their
letter urging the
representatives to sign
House and Senate
a letter to the Ways
Budget committees
and Means Committee
to make boosting
asking it to address the
infrastructure
long-term financial
investment and
stability of the HTF as
a HTF fix a key
part of comprehensive
priority for the F.Y.
tax reform.
2018 budget.
Led by Chairman
"Failure to address
Sam Graves, R-Mo.,
HTF's revenue
and Ranking Member
shortfall as part of
Eleanor Holmes
a comprehensive
Norton, D-D.C.,
measure would
of the House
increase the
Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo.
Highways and Transit
likelihood of
Subcommittee, the
Congress again
letter notes that
shifting funds from
all HTF revenue
elsewhere in the
enhancements in the
budget to support
last 30 years have been
another in a long
included in larger tax
string of one-time
and deficit reduction
trust fund infusions,"
packages.
the groups wrote.
"Any HTF solution
"A long-term,
should entail a longgrowth-supporting
term, dedicated, userrevenue solution
based revenue stream
for the HTF would
that can sup-port
achieve many of the
the transportation
economic and fiscal
infrastructure
objectives of both
investment supported
parties."
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
8

ENGINEERING INC.

MAY / JUNE 2017

PURESTOCK / THINKSTOCK

Council Emphasizes
Need for Highway
Trust Fund Fix

House Passes
Health Care Bill,
Cuts Mandates,
Taxes on Firms
The House of Representatives
passed legislation that would make
significant changes to the Affordable
Care Act, including the elimination
of certain mandates and taxes on
engineering firms.
The American Health Care Act
of 2017 would repeal the employer
mandate penalties on firms with
more than 50 employees that do
not offer qualified health insurance.
Several taxes would also be repealed,
including the tax on fully insured,
traditional health plans sold to
individuals and small firms, and taxes
on wages and investment income
paid by individuals who earn more
than $200,000 and families that earn
more than $250,000. In addition, the
40 percent "Cadillac tax" on highcost health plans would be delayed
until 2025.
The Senate is expected to draft its
own health care reform legislation,
the next step in what is likely to be a
long legislative process.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc - May/June 2017
