One of ACEC’s most important missions is fighting for our industry and member firms at the local, state, and federal levels. At the state level, most of our lobbying effort focuses on defense against bills that negatively affect us, our industry, and our clients and support for bills that are beneficial to our businesses. We strategically partner with business group allies and a wide range of special interest groups to magnify our influence. Historically, we are often at odds with public unions that seek to protect and expand their membership and frequently align with some contractor groups that seek to fund and facilitate construction. Recognizing the political realities of opposition alliances and the challenges of capturing the attention of legislators for complex bills that directly affect a relatively small number of constituents, we are selective in the bills that we sponsor ourselves. With that in mind, I am pleased to share with you that as a direct result of dedicated effort at the state level over the past eight years, ACEC’s sponsored bill, AB 334, was signed into law by the governor on September 30th, and will take effect on January 1, 2024. This bill addresses language in Government Code 1090 that, in some cases, precluded consultants that participated in earlier phases of a project from proposing on subsequent phases. This new bill allows public agencies more freedom in determining their own contracting decisions without fear of conflict of interest disputes. It also grants safe harbor protections against criminal, civil, and administrative enforcement to those that follow it. As a result, it will expand the contracting opportunities for our members. Many thanks to ACEC California’s Director of Government of Affairs, Tyler Munzing, and his team for this win for our industry.
