Our efforts in the Commonwealth were complemented by our work in DC.
Thanks to those who stomped the hill on Wednesday 28 February during the AIA Leadership Summit. Our delegation included representatives from across Virginia; from both the state level and each of the local chapters.
We advocated for three primary issues.
The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (HR7024) includes provisions to allow businesses to deduct R&D costs fully in the year they are incurred (rather than being required to amortize them), restores the 12.5% increase and lowers the tax-exempt bond financing requirements of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, and also allows “pass-through” entities to deduct up to 20% of qualified business income to bring parity with reduced corporate income tax rates.
The Democracy in Design Act (HR964/S366) seeks to prohibit a national design style – as had been proposed through an Executive Order issued by the previous administration.
We also asked our elected officials to contact the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council and request that they issue a policy clarification stipulating that the 6% fee limitation applies only to cost-plus-a-fixed fee contracts, and that A/E services ought to be negotiated in accordance with the Brooks Act of 1972, which established Qualification Based Selection (QBS), and provides the basis for negotiating fair and reasonable fees with the most qualified firm.
We also took the opportunity to inform the members of our congressional delegation about our considerable resiliency efforts across the Commonwealth.
We are developing plans to return to DC long before the next Leadership Summit and to maintain connections with our federal officials in-district – to keep those relationships vibrant and active.
