AFE — May/June 2012
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Executive Directions
AFE Goes to Washington
While unfunded mandate, committee mark-up and engrossed and enrolled bills may sound like typical government doublespeak (or worse, some disease found only in Washington D.C.), the actions your congressional representatives take and the decisions they make can significantly impact you and your company. Understanding how Congress works — and more importantly, understanding how you can influence that work — will allow you to shape the future of the facilities engineering profession and quite possibly make a lasting difference in your employer’s fortunes.
Consider one “unfunded mandate” currently facing our industry: the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010 (FBPTA). This law requires all federal employees and contractors who manage and operate federal facilities to meet specific criteria for knowledge and expertise, and to demonstrate that knowledge through certification, coursework or other means. The General Services Administration (GSA) is currently reviewing and soliciting public comments on the core competencies for several job titles affected by the FBPTA requirements and determining which certifications and training programs meet those criteria. By participating in this process you and AFE will play an important role in whether your CPE, CPMM or GOHP certification will qualify you to hold management positions in U.S. government buildings.
President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative of February, 2011 is another example of government action that affects the bottom line of your facility. Meeting the initiative’s goal of 20 percent reduction in energy use in commercial buildings could save $40 billion per year by 2020 and, according to one estimate, create as many as 114,000 jobs. Or consider the Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2011. Passage of this legislation would provide a 30 percent tax deduction for private-sector facilities that insulate their mechanical equipment, such as boilers, heating and air-conditioning units, duct work, and hot and cold water piping.
How can you, as a facilities professional, be engaged in the legislative process to help shape the legislation and decisions in ways that will strengthen the profession? AFE is your resource to do just that. One important way is to keep abreast of AFE’s legislative alerts. These emails, sent whenever important decisions about facilities maintenance and operations face Congress, allow you to know when to contact your senators and congressional representative, and provide information about the sponsors of bills for you to contact as well. AFE’s Weekly Headlines also provides regular updates about happenings in Washington, so that you will be aware of opportunities both to contact Congress and to take advantage of programs like the Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act.
One of the best and most exciting ways to participate in your government is to meet in person with your representatives on Capitol Hill. And this fall, AFE will give you just that opportunity. A key feature of our Facilities America Education Forum (September 10-12) will be an “Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill.” Aft er an orientation session we will travel by bus to the Capitol. There, you can meet with your senators and representatives and their aides to share just what issues are important to the facilities profession and how they can support your work in the field. Space for this exciting adventure in government and politics is limited, so register for Facilities America now and don’t miss the chance to be a part of policymaking in person.
Wayne W. Carley, PhD
Executive Director
While unfunded mandate, committee mark-up and engrossed and enrolled bills may sound like typical government doublespeak (or worse, some disease found only in Washington D.C.), the actions your congressional representatives take and the decisions they make can significantly impact you and your company. Understanding how Congress works — and more importantly, understanding how you can influence that work — will allow you to shape the future of the facilities engineering profession and quite possibly make a lasting difference in your employer’s fortunes.
Consider one “unfunded mandate” currently facing our industry: the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010 (FBPTA). This law requires all federal employees and contractors who manage and operate federal facilities to meet specific criteria for knowledge and expertise, and to demonstrate that knowledge through certification, coursework or other means. The General Services Administration (GSA) is currently reviewing and soliciting public comments on the core competencies for several job titles affected by the FBPTA requirements and determining which certifications and training programs meet those criteria. By participating in this process you and AFE will play an important role in whether your CPE, CPMM or GOHP certification will qualify you to hold management positions in U.S. government buildings.
President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative of February, 2011 is another example of government action that affects the bottom line of your facility. Meeting the initiative’s goal of 20 percent reduction in energy use in commercial buildings could save $40 billion per year by 2020 and, according to one estimate, create as many as 114,000 jobs. Or consider the Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2011. Passage of this legislation would provide a 30 percent tax deduction for private-sector facilities that insulate their mechanical equipment, such as boilers, heating and air-conditioning units, duct work, and hot and cold water piping.
How can you, as a facilities professional, be engaged in the legislative process to help shape the legislation and decisions in ways that will strengthen the profession? AFE is your resource to do just that. One important way is to keep abreast of AFE’s legislative alerts. These emails, sent whenever important decisions about facilities maintenance and operations face Congress, allow you to know when to contact your senators and congressional representative, and provide information about the sponsors of bills for you to contact as well. AFE’s Weekly Headlines also provides regular updates about happenings in Washington, so that you will be aware of opportunities both to contact Congress and to take advantage of programs like the Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act.
One of the best and most exciting ways to participate in your government is to meet in person with your representatives on Capitol Hill. And this fall, AFE will give you just that opportunity. A key feature of our Facilities America Education Forum (September 10-12) will be an “Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill.” Aft er an orientation session we will travel by bus to the Capitol. There, you can meet with your senators and representatives and their aides to share just what issues are important to the facilities profession and how they can support your work in the field. Space for this exciting adventure in government and politics is limited, so register for Facilities America now and don’t miss the chance to be a part of policymaking in person.
Wayne W. Carley, PhD
Executive Director
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