Convention Wrap-up and What’s Next on Reconciliation

To the ACEC Community,

One week ago today, we closed the books on our 2025 Annual Convention and Legislative Summit. This year’s gathering drew the largest number of Convention attendees since we resumed in-person events. Our members came to Washington because they knew that if ever there was a time when our voices needed to be heard loud and clear, that time is now.

And that timing couldn’t have been better, with the House debating the tax bill at the very moment our members converged on Washington. During our event, we heard from House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, T&I Chair Sam Graves, and T&I Ranking Member Rick Larsen who all broke away from the Hill to address our members.

Early last Thursday morning, the House passed their version of the reconciliation bill on a party-line vote. The bill includes several provisions we were seeking, but we do have concerns about some of the spending cuts, namely the repeal of renewable energy tax credits and other programs related to green energy. Now the action—and our advocacy focus—turns to the Senate for their version of the bill. Republicans have set a deadline for the bill to pass both chambers before July 4.

Rounding out our political programming, we heard from Chris LaCivita, President Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager, who offered a unique insider perspective on the president, both the personal and political. It was a fascinating and illuminating discussion, particularly on the eve of our member visits to the Hill. Our blog post on LaCivita’s appearance can be read here.

On the business front, we heard how to best leverage the human element in leadership development from author, entrepreneur, and keynoter, Erica Dhawan. Erica discussed what she calls connectional intelligence—the ability to connect and communicate at a time when it’s never been physically easier or more practically complicated. The upshot of her remarks was that as we become more and more reliant on technology—whether it’s virtual meetings or AI—it gets harder to read body language.

That’s a problem, given that so much communication is unspoken. Erica’s view is that as we automate routine tasks and even interactions, we must be mindful of protecting the emotional aspect of communication. It’s a paradox: the more technology replaces human interaction, the more human we will all need to be.

Finally, at our Engineering Excellence Awards Gala on Tuesday evening, we celebrated 194 projects. Taking home the Grand Conceptor for true engineering excellence was Severud Associates for their work on the Sphere in Las Vegas – a truly one-of-a-kind entertainment venue and structural marvel.

I hope everyone had a safe, fun Memorial Day weekend to mark the unofficial start of summer. And as we kick off that unofficial start of summer, I’m already looking ahead to fall. So, mark your calendars for Fall Conference in San Diego beginning October 5!

Have a great week,

Linda Bauer Darr

President & CEO

American Council of Engineering Companies | ACEC

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