To the ACEC Community,
The holiday season is in full swing, but politics didn’t take a break last week, when the House saw two high-profile retirements. Former House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry announced that he will not run to serve in the 119th Congress. In even more immediate news, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (whom McHenry replaced after his ouster in October) has opted not to complete his term, resigning his seat at the end of the year. Both seats are very likely to remain in GOP hands in 2024.
Our efforts in securing a repeal of R&D amortization got a shot in the arm last week, when Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) added his name as a cosponsor of the American Innovation and Jobs Act (S. 866), which would repeal the requirement. We continue to push full speed ahead in our efforts on this issue. The grassroots and media campaign that we launched earlier in the fall is making a real impact. To date, our ad has run 145 times on cable, 21 on radio, and 13 on local DC broadcast channels. On the digital side, we’ve made well over 3.4 million video impressions. On the earned media side, we have secured 12 media hits across three of our target states, with an estimated reach of more than a quarter-million. We are getting our message out, and lawmakers are taking notice.
Last week, we were added to the list of top lobbyists in The Hill newspaper for the second year. This is a real honor for us and it's great to know that our advocacy efforts are being noticed. Strong advocacy is critical to your success, and it remains our number one priority.
It’s the holiday season, and throughout Washington, groups are holding receptions for elected members and their staffs. We held our own event at the residence on Capitol Hill last week, which attracted several Members of Congress, including the Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and colleagues from partner organizations. We also held our staff holiday party last week, where we were joined by our Chair, Jay Wolverton, and his wife Ann. The event was a wonderful way to cap what has been a busy year for the ACEC National team and take a collective breath to get ready for an even busier 2024.
Look out next week for our 2023 in review letter.
Until then, have a great week.
Linda Bauer Darr
President & CEO American Council of Engineering Companies | ACEC
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