To: ACEC California Members

Our ACEC National office reports that (as expected) the House passed the supplemental $483 billion COVID-19 assistance package, which will provide an additional $321 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program. The package also includes $60 billion in additional SBA economic disaster loans for small businesses, $75 billion in emergency relief for hospitals and $25 billion for coronavirus testing. The President is expected to sign the package into law. We continue to encourage ACEC California members to contact their lenders as soon as possible if interested.

Attached is the letter ACEC National submitted to DHS earlier this week making recommendations for more specific references to engineering services in future updates to guidance on essential infrastructure projects and related positions. 

To that end, you should have received the  Action Alert  below (from ACEC National) which launches ACEC’s grassroots campaign to promote consideration and passage of an infrastructure-based recovery agenda. Please follow the instructions below and encourage our Federal lawmakers to take action!
ACTION ALERT

Support a robust infrastructure agenda to promote economic recovery
ACEC member action is requested to engage House and Senate lawmakers to support an economic recovery agenda that includes significant and sustainable investments in the nation’s critical infrastructure and regulatory reforms to move projects forward expeditiously. 
 
 
While Congress needs to act to address near-term priorities to keep businesses afloat, ACEC and stakeholder allies are urging lawmakers to begin action on longer-term measures that will kick start the economy and sustain growth in the coming years. ACEC supports an agenda that includes a long-term reauthorization of the FAST Act with sustainable and growing revenues, passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to authorize new Corps of Engineers water projects and more funding and financing mechanisms to support water and wastewater projects, and measures to support energy markets, vertical projects, and other priorities in the built environment.