Engineering Inc - July/August 2018 - 9

JORDANLYE/THINKSTOCK

Appropriations Committees
Boost 2019 Funding for
Transportation Programs
The House and Senate Appropriations committees have
approved increases for several
infrastructure programs in
their respective spending bills
for the departments of Transportation and Housing and
Urban Development for fiscal
year 2019.
The House version of the
legislation funds highway
programs at $50.3 billion,
which is $4.25 billion above
the FAST Act. The Senate
bill would add $3.3 billion
to current levels. Transit
programs receive more than
$13 billion in both bills,
including $2.6 billion for
capital investment grants,
sufficient to fund projects with
existing grant agreements and
several new starts in the FTA
project pipeline.
BUILD (previously known
as TIGER) multimodal
grants are funded at $750
million in the House bill,
with $250 million designated
for projects in rural areas,
$250 million for urbanized
areas with a population over
200,000 and $250 million
for ports. The Senate bill
allocates $1 billion to the
program. Rail programs
receive more than $3 billion
in both bills, including rail
infrastructure and safety

improvements and state of
good repair grants.
For aviation, the bills
preserve Airport Improvement
Program funding from the
Airport & Airways Trust Fund
at $3.35 billion and add $500
to $750 million in competitive
airport grant funding from the
General Fund. FAA Facilities
& Equipment programs
receive $3.25 billion.
The bills also provide $3.3
billion for the Community
Development Block Grant
program, the same as the 2018
level and 10 percent above
2017.
Lawmakers are expected
to debate and vote on their
respective bills this summer.

ISSUES ON THE MOVE

WHAT'S NEXT

Water Resources Development
Act

Senate passage in July

Transportation Appropriations

House, Senate passage
by August

Tax Law P3 Fix

Possible action before the end
of the year

ACEC Co-sponsors TV Commercials
and Digital Ads Calling for Increased
Infrastructure Funding
ACEC teamed with major business and labor organizations to air
targeted commercials and digital ads in support of infrastructure
investment.
The campaign, which featured commercials running on the Fox
and MSNBC networks and digital ads appearing in key Capitol
Hill publications, highlights the economic costs of congestion and
urges lawmakers and the administration to pass robust infrastructure
investment and a permanent solution for the Highway Trust Fund.
"These ads are targeted on programs and publications that lawmakers and executive branch officials see every day," says ACEC
President/CEO Dave Raymond.

The New York Times Highlights
ACEC Advocacy Role for Section 179D
ACEC's advocacy for the Section 179D energy-efficient commercial buildings
tax deduction was highlighted in a recent New York Times article.
Section 179D provides a tax deduction to building owners for certain costs
incurred to increase energy efficiency in new and remodeled buildings.
When the owner is a public entity (which are tax-exempt), the law allows the
deduction to be allocated to the primary designer.
However, the law does not specify whether a public owner should receive
anything in exchange for transferring the deduction, and some entities have
begun requiring that designers provide a rebate in exchange. In a statement
to the House Ways and Means Committee, ACEC argued that these rebates-
particularly if they are required by the owner after the contract is signed-
create financial and ethical problems for engineering firms.
ACEC is working with Congress on this issue, as well as to extend Section
179D, which expired at the end of 2017.

JULY / AUGUST 2018

For
More
News
For weekly
legislative
news, visit
ACEC's Last
Word online
at www.
acec.org.

ENGINEERING INC.

9
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc - July/August 2018
