Lochmueller Group Travels To Washington

By: Doug Shatto, Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice President

Dave Mohler (American Structure Point), Congressman Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Doug Shatto, and Sanjay Patel (VS Engineering) together during the ACEC Spring Conference

Mike Hinton and I attended the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Spring Conference in Washington, D.C. during the week of May 6. The program included a wide array of educational sessions – we primarily focused on current trends in business practices – as well as Capitol Hill visits that allowed conference delegates to act as “citizen lobbyists”. 

I joined groups of other consultants from both Indiana and Missouri to visit a number of different Congressmen, Senators, and members of their staffs. These visits allowed Lochmueller Group to have a voice in the legislative process. We advocated for policies and measures that will benefit the consultant engineering industry as well as our communities. Key issues that were discussed included:

  • The importance of federal highway funds and the need for a new federal transportation program
  • Creating sustainable funding for the Highway Trust Fund
  • Revisiting funding formulas so that each state receives an equitable return on the federal taxes that they generate
  • Supporting the elimination of passenger gate fee caps so that cities can better fund airport improvements
  • Supporting the renewal and expansion of State Revolving Funds as part of the Clean Water Act
  • Promoting measures to improve the development and retention of STEM talent

Watching how our government “works” is fascinating! While time is limited and attention spans are short, we really are given the opportunity to influence our elected officials. Of course, they sometimes have their minds made up on certain issues, but they are anxious to hear how the combination of federal monies and our services can impact their home districts and improve communities. They have proven to be receptive to new information from groups like ours. 

Share: FacebooktwitterlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterlinkedinmail

Archives by Month:

Archives by Subject: