AIA Colorado, AIA Florida, AIA Montana, and AIA Ohio will receive Government Affairs Assistance Grants ranging from $1,250 to $3,000 as part of an AIA advocacy assistance program. The Government Affairs Advisory Committee (GAAC) awarded the matching funds to these components for assistance with legislative, regulatory, and legal initiatives related to government-affairs activity that affects public policy and architecture practice.

AIA Colorado is partnering with several organizations to appeal a recent appellate-court decision that said that architects have an independent, common-law “duty of care” to contractors arising out of inspections or periodic observations performed for a project owner. The component will use its grant to help defray the legal fees associated with the appeal. GAAC noted the importance of maintaining a body of case law that architects should not be responsible for every action undertaken by contractors and other third parties at a job site. In addition, a successful appeal would support a position to which the AIA can turn if the issue arises in other jurisdictions. Further, GAAC recognized AIA Colorado for guarding their interests in front of the judiciary, a branch of government that is often overlooked in public-policy advocacy. “The component is providing a stellar example of what a fully rounded government affairs committee should be,” the GAAC says. “By monitoring the activities of all three branches of government, AIA Colorado is ensuring the interests of its members are being protected.”

AIA Florida will use its grant to help pay for publication of a multi-page brochure outlining the role that architects play in the design of new public schools. This outreach and advocacy project responds to a voter-passed constitutional amendment that puts a limit on Florida’s public-school class sizes. Now faced with the financial pressures of building an unprecedented number of new schools and classrooms, many administrators have indicated that they will use portable facilities and prototype designs to meet the requirements of the new law. AIA Florida intends to use its new brochure to engage state legislators through case studies and a presentation of the ideas and issues. GAAC recognized AIA Florida for “answering the call” and looks forward to a report from the component detailing the outcome of the process.

AIA Montana, an unstaffed component, will use its funds to have its volunteer members represent the architecture profession on a state legislative task force that will study qualifications-based selection (QBS). During their last session, Montana legislators passed a resolution that encourages the Montana Department of Administration to initiate a collaborative study concerning the process and criteria for state agencies to use in awarding public-works construction projects. The study will look at various factors including:

• How a decision is reached to award a contract on the basis of “best value”
• The criteria necessary for ensuring a fair, equitable, and objective selection process
• The qualifications for members of selection panels used to award contracts
• The process needed to ensure taxpayers receive the most cost-effective projects possible.

The component expects that the architecture profession will be represented on the task force by the current AIA Montana president, the Government Affairs Committee member, one additional AIA member, and a faculty member with assistance from selected students from Montana State University’s school of architecture. GAAC noted that the national government affairs effort has consistently urged its state components to undertake actions and activities to ensure that the A/E community is well-represented during the formative phases of legislative research. This endeavor can be easily adapted to other components, and the task force report can be used to augment Institute resources on QBS.

AIA Ohio will use its grant to defray the significant costs of a concerted—and successful—lobbying project to pass a comprehensive tort reform bill through the state senate. Among the provisions of the bill (SB 80) was a statute of repose for the architectural profession. Although other professions advocated for passage, it was crucial that the AIA ensured its interests were represented during the debate of this important piece of reform legislation. The component plans on supporting the bill in the Ohio House of Representatives when that chamber reconvenes after its summer recess.

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