Summary: As almost every American is aware by now, President Obama signed into law a massive economic recovery package designed to stimulate the economy and help the nation cope with the ongoing recession. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to states to help create new jobs, billions to help individuals and businesses, and nearly $300 billion in tax cuts.

In an on-line video message AIA President Marvin Malecha, FAIA, he exhorts members to get involved at the local level, and now. “We need to work closely with our state and local advocacy staff. They’ll be the ones be coordinating the campaign,” he says

Funding for Buildings
The AIA has been heavily involved in the legislative development of the new law through the Rebuild and Renew advocacy campaign. Through Rebuild and Renew, AIA leadership, AIA members nationwide, and AIA staff called on Congress to ensure that the stimulus bill includes provisions that will allow architects and their clients to get back to work through investments in green buildings, safe and efficient infrastructure, affordable housing, and 21st century schools.

The bill contains numerous provisions that will invigorate the design and construction industry, including the following key pillars of Rebuild and Renew:

• Billions of dollars in funding for school districts to modernize, renovate, and repair schools
• Billions of dollars for green affordable housing projects
• Tax incentives to make homes more energy efficient
• Billions of dollars to make federal buildings more energy efficient, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in energy costs
• Billions of dollars to states and communities to make energy efficient upgrades to buildings and communities
• Billions of dollars in investments in mass transit systems and the construction and renovation of intermodal transit facilities.

“This bill represents the largest federal investment in green, high-performing buildings in recent memory,” notes Malecha. “The work does not stop here however as the new law’s success will rest on the talents and expertise of architects to turn these investments into a reality.”

Your AIA joined the debate
As the House and Senate worked out the final details of the legislation the second week of February, the AIA government affairs team learned that two key priorities for the profession—funding for school modernization and investments in greening federal buildings—were in jeopardy.

An action alert was all it took for AIA members to step to bat and calling on legislators to support funding for schools. This is the power of 86,000 members acting in concert for the common good. The AIA also brought together over 80 organizations from across the political spectrum to sign on to a letter demanding that Congress make sure that funding for school modernization and renovation remained in the bill. As noted above, billions in funding for school modernization was included in law signed by the president.

On the same day, Harry Gordon, FAIA, testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of the funding for green federal buildings. The final legislation includes $4.5 billion for the design and construction of high-performance federal buildings.

Next steps
The funding from the new law will be distributed quickly to states and federal agencies. The AIA national component is developing materials to assist state and local components and members in their efforts to make sure that this money is spent wisely and in ways to stimulate the design and construction industry. For more information, contact the AIA Government Affairs team.