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ASHRAEGovernment Affairs Update, 1/13/2012
· State Legislatures Convene, Address
Top-Line ASHRAE Policy Concerns
· U.S. House and Senate Members Return
Later this Month; Congressional Staff Peer Into Legislative Crystal Ball for
2012
State Legislatures Convene, Address Top-Line ASHRAE Policy
Concerns
There is a buzz in state capitols right now as legislatures
from coast to coast are beginning their 2012 sessions. To date (January 13), 33
of the 47 legislatures (including the District of Columbia’s Council) meeting
in regular session this year – the legislatures in Montana, Nevada, North
Dakota, and Texas are not slated to meet in 2012 – have convened and are
already discussing measures of import to ASHRAE at both a Society and chapter
level.
As has been reported in past Updates, at ASHRAE’s Annual Meeting last summer
in Montreal, the Board of Directors voted unanimously to develop grassroots
advocacy programs at the state, provincial, and local levels within the
Society’s membership. We are working to mobilize ASHRAE chapters and members in
encouraging adoption of ASHRAE standards in their states, provinces, cities, and
counties, as well as other public policies in line with ASHRAE advocacy
priorities, including (but not limited to):
· Building
energy codes;
· Building
energy disclosure;
· Engineering
licensure (e.g., “Master’s or Equivalent” [as outlined in the November 18 Update], continuing education
requirements, etc.)
· Measures
related to a higher-performance built environment; and
· Science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education initiatives.
By utilizing a new legislative monitoring service, ASHRAE
Government Affairs staff has already identified nearly 400 state-level measures that address
the above issues, with a view toward acting as a centralized resource and
clearinghouse of legislative information to ASHRAE regions, chapters, and
members so that all can help to shape positive public policy.
If you would like to be kept up-to-speed on the policy
issues that matter the most to the HVAC&R professional in your state or
region, please contact ASHRAE’s Government Affairs Office at washdc@ashrae.org or call (202) 833-1830
and ask for Mark Wills (Manager, State and Local Government Affairs).
U.S. House and Senate
Members Return Later this Month; Congressional Staff Peer Into Legislative
Crystal Ball for 2012
U.S. House and Senate members are back in their states and
districts, meeting with constituents and campaigning, while their congressional
staffers back here in Washington, DC are trying to see through the political
fog and find a path to a legislative win for their bosses. Clouding their view
are the upcoming U.S. Presidential and House and Senate elections, and
President Barack Obama’s upcoming State of the Union address and his budget
request to Congress, both of which will outline the President’s 2012
legislative priorities.
Given the high degree of partisanship within Congress and
between the President, there will likely be few chances for large-scale
legislation to pass, and yet there will be opportunities. For instance, some
Senate leaders would like to block out time to debate energy efficiency
legislation on the Senate floor, and are meeting to discuss this in greater
detail in the coming weeks. The exact legislation is yet to be determined, but
there is a fair likelihood that it could resemble the Energy Savings and
Industrial Competitiveness Act (S.1000), which ASHRAE and a large number of
technical societies and organizations have been working on since April, 2011.
2012 is shaping up to be an interesting year, and even
legislation that doesn’t pass will help set the stage for 2013.
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ASHRAE Washington Office
1828 L Street, NW * Suite 906 * Washington, DC 20036
(202) 833-1830 * fax: (202) 833-0118 * washdc@ashrae.org
http://www.ashrae.org/advocacy
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