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AAES Fast Facts
January 25, 2002

January 24, 2002

WASHINGTON UPDATE

The House Energy and Commerce Committee began its investigation into the collapse of Enron Corp. This may have significant consequences in the accounting world and in the area of political finances. For more information, see Yahoo! News website.

President Bush's budget will propose big boosts for defense and homeland security and renewed drive to revive the economy, clipping the coming decade's surplus to $1 trillion, http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/U_S__Budget.

In a slap at Republican leaders, supporters of campaign finance legislation won their fight Thursday to force a House vote on a bill to curb the influence of big money in politics. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/Campaign_Finance/

On Tuesday evening of next week, President Bush will make his State of the Union speech before the joint session of Congress. His address figures to be split about evenly between terrorism-related talk and domestic issues. Senior aides say the centerpiece will be strong language signaling the continued pre-eminence of the fight against terror."

ASCE
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE BILL LIKELY TO BE INTRODUCED IN SENATE NEXT WEEK

A bill to authorize billions of dollars for drinking-water and wastewater infrastructure construction and repair costs over the next decade is likelyto be introduced in the Senate during the week of January 28, according to Senate sources. Details of the bill are unavailable.

This year ASCE is seeking passage of a bill that would provide approximately $57 billion over 10 years for the construction and repair ofsewage treatment plants and pipes and drinking-water facilities and related pipes and structures.

2. FY 2003 BUDGET WILL BOOST SECURITY, DEFENSE AND PINCH DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Budget analysts expect that President Bush will submit a budget for Fiscal Year 2003 in February that will likely squeeze most domestic programs while boosting homeland security and defense. This could leave many environment and energy programs struggling to break FY 2002 level.

Recently White House budget Director Mitch Daniels said discretionary spending, the portion of the federal budget up for grabs during the congressional appropriations process, will rise only slightly above the seven percent increase passed in FY 2002.

The White House has set aside much of that increase for defense and homeland security, Daniels said. Homeland security probably will doubleover FY 2002's final allocation of roughly $12 billion. That leaves the rest of the budget facing tight limits, with only about one percent of the seven percent discretionary boost available for programs outside defense and security, according to several reports.

3. FY2003 HIGHWAY FUNDING IN JEOPARDY AS FIRST OF ELEVEN HEARINGS HELD ON REAUTHORIZATION OF TEA-21

Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held its first of eleven hearings on the reauthorization of the transportation equity act of the 21st century (TEA-21). Preliminary estimates by the Treasury Department say reduced income from gasoline taxes will cut highway authorization levels from $31.8 billion in fiscal 2002 to $22.7 billion in fiscal 2003. A 1998 surface transportation law (PL 105-178) contains the trigger, known as Revenue Aligned Budget Authority that aims to keep federal roads spending in line with gas-tax revenue collections. Congress will use the fiscal 2003 funding numbers as a baseline as it begins work on TEA-21.

4. ASCE SECOND ANNUAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING IN GOVERNMENT RELATIONS REMINDER

ASCE will present the second annual Leadership Training in Government Relations in Washington, DC on March 5-6, 2002. Participants willl earn skills that will help them start or improve a Section government relations program, and while here these members will also have the opportunity to put their skills into practice by meeting with their members of Congress to promote civil engineering issues at the national level.

Topics include:


5. TOWN HALL MEETINGS TO BE HELD AT ASCE ZONE MEETINGS

ASCE's town hall meeting at the Zone I conference in Hartford, Connecticut was a success. About 45 members of ASCE and interested constituents participated in the meeting that took place on Friday, January 18, 2002. Town hall panelist included Connecticut Senator and Chairman of the Transportation Committee Biagio "Billy" Ciotto; Charles Barone, State of Connecticut Department of Transportation Bureau of Policy and Planning; and Joyce Wojtas, Director of Government Affairs for the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, Inc. The majority of the dialog centered on infrastructure, congestion concerns and state and federal funding.

6. DASCHLE OFFERS STIMULUS BILL ON FLOOR

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) offered his latest economic stimulus proposal as an amendment on the Senate floor Wednesday, placing the chamber on an uncertain course that he said could ultimately lead to final passage of his proposal. Daschle offered his amendment after failing to reach agreement with Republicans on a procedure that they said would have favored his new proposal. With no agreed-upon procedure for Daschle's proposal, the stimulus package will be subject to a flurry of amendments as senators push their favorite tax plans. Republicans said Daschle's bill does not provide enough stimulus and consists mostly of spending proposals. The proposal contains four elements - tax rebates, bonus depreciation for certain business items, extension of unemployment benefits and aid to states for Medicaid costs.

IEEE

An IEEE-USA amicus curiae brief on patent rights received prominent attention in oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in the Festo Corporation v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., LTD patent case. For more information including a transcript of the oral argument, see: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POLICY/2001/01aug31festo.html.

On January 18, IEEE-USA wrote to Senators Leahy and Hatch of the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsing the Patent and Trademark Office Authorization Act of 2002 (S.1754), which would prevent the diversion of fees collected by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office to fund other federal agencies. See: http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POLICY/02jan18.html New IEEE-USA Congressional Fellow Isidor Kerszenbaum began his assignment earlier this month with the House Int'l Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. Kerszenbaum joins IEEE-USA 2001-2002 Congressional Fellow Peter Winokur, who is continuing his assignment with Senator Harry Reid (Nev.). IEEE-USA is also exploring development of an Executive Fellowship program at the U.S. State Department.

IEEE-USA has announced its 2001 Public Service Awards, which will go to Reps. Rob Portman (R-OH), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), and Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Max Maucus (D-Mont.) and James Jeffords (I-Vt.), who were recognized "for untiring efforts and effective leadership in successful Congressional action to strengthen America's private pension system and increase individual savings for retirement."

AIChE

AICHE'S CRITICAL ISSUES SERIES: "ENERGY AND A SUSTAINABLE PLANET" World-renowned experts on global climate change, alternative energy, and nuclear energy, along with participants from education, government, industry, and the media will convene March 10-12 for the first-ever AIChE Critical Issues Series. This 3-day symposium will generate a lively discussion on crucial issues that will shape the future of the world's economic development, government policy, and quality of life. The Series is free to all Spring Meeting participants. For details and registrationinformation, visit http://www.aiche.org/criticalissues.

The AIChE Government Relations Committee Chairman Dale Keairns attended the year's first meeting of the Washington Coal Club on Capitol Hill on January 9th. Carl Bauer, Associate Director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) presented remarks about current programs impacting the use of coal for power generation.

AIChE's Government Relations Committee met in Washington DC on January 21 to outline goals and priorities for the upcoming year. Joining the group to discuss the importance of federal alliances and strategies for constructing relationships was former Congressman Toby Roth. In the local sections, AIChE President Sid Sapakie met with Atlanta's local section on January 8th and Vice President Diane Dorland met with the North Jersey section on January 15th.

On Tuesday, January 22, AIChE's North Jersey local section hosted a meeting with Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) with ACS, ASME, and IEEE. Mr. Holt discussed the importance of science and engineering education in schools, but also emphasized the need for an understanding and appreciation of science, technology, and engineering in society, especially in Congress. Issues currently on the Congressman's agenda include reinstating the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), funding for research and development, and developing energy policy.

ASME
STATE OF TECHNOLOGY IN MARYLAND TO BE HELD IN ANNAPOLIS

ASME will join with the Technology Council of Maryland in co-sponsoring an annual gathering of Maryland lawmakers and industry leaders to discuss technology-based economic development. This year's program will feature technology-based entrepreneurship. Hear about challenges, accomplishments and opportunities from successful Maryland technology start-ups as well as examine how schools and universities are preparing future engineering, science and technology entrepreneurs.

The summit will be held in Annapolis on February 4. For program and registration details, go to http://www.asme.org/gric/. If you have additional questions, please contact Reese Meisinger at meisingerr@asme.org.

A DAY AT THE CAPITOL TO BE HELD IN CALIFORNIA

ASME's Region IX will host the 5th Annual Day at the Capitol in Sacramento, California on February 5. The program will focus on three issues: energy, transportation, and engineering licensing. Visits will also be scheduled for the participants with Chairmen and Ranking Members of the appropriate committees of jurisdiction, as well as some individual visits with Assemblymen and Senators.

For program and registration details, go to http://www.asme.org/gric. Additional information is available from Melissa Murray at murraym@asme.org.

ICCFR&D MEETING TO ADDRESS BUSH FY2003 BUDGET

ASME's Inter-Council Committee on Federal R&D (ICCFRD) of the Council on Engineering (COE) will meet February 13-14, 2002 in Washington, D.C., the week following the President's budget request for FY2003. The ICCFR&D provides the mechanical engineering profession with a voice in the federal R&D budget process that incorporates the industrial and academic perspectives, the interaction of R&D and engineering education, and changing societal needs.

Task Force Chairmen will participate in providing an analysis for their issue area of the President's FY2003 budget, which will be released to the Congress in early February 2002. That analysis will be used as ASME's contribution to an annual report prepared by the American Association for the Advancement of Science on research and development in the federal budget. In addition, the analysis will be used to prepare written or oral testimony on the agency budgets for Congressional hearings and for other purposes. For more information, please contact Reese Meisinger at meisingerr@asme.org.