ACECL May 2020 ENewsletter

May, 2020

ACECL BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING

The ACEC of Louisiana Board of Governors held its May board meeting via ZOOM on May 15. Please find May board documents listed below. The next ACEC of Louisiana Board meeting will be held on June 19, 2020

Meeting Agenda

Membership Development Report

Transportation Committee Report

Meeting Minutes

Water Resources Committee Report

LES-LAPELS Committee Report

Membership Report

April 2020 Financial Report

Multimodal Committee Report

2020 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

The 2020 Regular Session will sine die by Monday at 6:00pm. At 6:01pm the House and Senate will gavel in the First Extraordinary Session of 2020.

The 41 items in the 30 day session Call include mostly funding/fiscal and declared emergency matters (suspensions and extensions) including the Capital Outlay bill but it also includes several non-fiscal matters such as:

Workforce Training
Incentive Program requirements
Unemployment Compensation
Expansion of broadband coverage
Creation of a Streamlining Commission
Suspension of licensing requirements and fees imposed on businesses during emergency (will need to see what is filed under this item)
Relative to civil liability and motor vehicle liability coverage, general prescriptive periods for delictual actions, collateral source, prescription, jury trials, jury trial thresholds, direct actions against insurers, evidence regarding seat belts, annual rate filings by the commissioner of insurance and mandatory rate reductions.

With the Legislature not passing an appropriations bill or a Capitol Outlay bill, these are the two must pass bills by June 30. All eyes will also be on what the Governor does with SB 418 which passed the Legislature by a super majority. The Omnibus Premium Reduction Act of 2020 was a priority of the business community to reduce Louisiana's high insurance rates and the unfriendly to business tort system. With veto-proof support, it is expected the Legislature could successfully override a veto by being in session.

A bill that ACECL initially opposed before it was amended to limit impact to liquidated damages on construction contracts passed both houses. HB 758 by Rep. Zeringuel was further amended on the Senate Floor to be limited to “public works construction contract for a flood protection project or for an 7 integrated coastal protection project as defined in R.S. 49:214.2” As a reminder, the intent of the author filing the bill was to codify a practice that had been used prior to a 4 ^th circuit court decision impacting construction contract LDs.

HB 826 by Rep. Pressly passed limiting liability due to COVID19.

ACECL MEMBERS SERVE ON NATIONAL PLANNING CABINET

ACEC National has selected Kenny Smith and Kurt Evans, both from Louisiana, to serve on the ACEC Planning Cabinet. “ACEC Chair-elect Charlie Gozdziewski would like to appoint you as a member of the ACEC Planning Cabinet for 2020-2021. The purpose of the Planning Cabinet is to advise the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors on strategies and implementation steps for strengthening ACEC's governance and progress.” There are three subcommittees of which Kenny and Kurt will serve on two, together. Those two are Bylaws Subcommittee – Unconscious Bias; and Strategic Plan Subcommittee. Both are excited to represent all the MO’s in ACEC and have a strong Louisiana representation at the national level.

VISIT THE ACEC OF LOUISIANA WEBSITE FOR ALL POSTINGS AND OTHER COVID19 RESOURCES

For those of you who may have been unable to attend the Transportation Conference in March or the subsequent presentations by DOTD relative to the consultant selection changes effective with advertisements issued after July 1, ACECL is hosting a virtual presentation with DOTD staff on June 4 at 1:30pm . This meeting will be recorded and available after the meeting for those with a conflict.

Topic: DOTD Consultant Selection Process Changes

Time: Jun 4, 2020 01:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86510500281

Meeting ID: 865 1050 0281

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,86510500281# US (Germantown)

+13126266799,,86510500281# US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 865 1050 028

Click here for the May 21 MOVEBR Selection Board action.

ACEC welcomes new members:

Atlas Technical Consultants

Braun Intertec

ACEC DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE

In yet another fall out from the coronavirus, the 2020 Deep South Convention scheduled for July 24-26 in SanDestin has been cancelled. The four states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi have spent the past several weeks in discussions to determine SanDestin's ability to meet their contractual obligations related to the conference.

This decision did not come easy. All four states look forward every year to the opportunity to network with fellow ACEC Deep South members. However, the health and safety of our attendees is our top priority and we are committed to providing a safe meeting environment in which to convene. Taking these safety issues into account, along with current governmental regulations adversely impacting our ability to execute a successful conference, the four states determined that cancelling the event is in the best interest of our members, our associates, and their families.

If you have registered for the conference or paid for a sponsorship, you will be refunded in full.

Keep your beach towel handy! The Deep South Convention will be back in 2021 better than ever!

2020 EEA CALL FOR ENTRIES NOW OPEN!

ACEC/L is pleased to announce it will host a competition to recognize engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement and value. The EEA competition celebrates the outstanding achievements of the profession. All recipients will be eligible to submit their project to the National ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards.

ELIGIBILITY

Any firm engaged in the private practice of consulting engineering or surveying in the state of Louisiana is eligible to enter the awards program whether or not the firm is an ACEC of Louisiana member. Projects may have been executed anywhere in the world, but a substantial role must have been completed by personnel in a Louisiana office. A project may be entered only once in any category. There is no limit to how many different projects a firm may enter.

Studies, Research and Consulting (Category A) or Surveying and Mapping Technology projects (Category D) must have been publicly disclosed by the client between July 1, 2017 and July 1, 2020. Construction of projects (Categories B through L—with the exception of D) must have been substantially completed and ready for use between July 1, 2017 and July 1, 2020. However, only projects ready for use between November 1, 2018 and October 31, 2020 will be eligible to be submitted for the national EEA awards program.

ENTRY CRITERIA

ENTRY DEADLINE - Online entry submission must be completed by: Saturday, August 1, 2020 (midnight).

FEE - $500 entry fee per project for ACEC of Louisiana members; $1,000 entry fee per project for non-ACEC of Louisiana members.

AWARD DECISIONS ARE FINAL - Entries will be judged on the basis of overall engineering excellence. Entries will also be judged on the basis of the work performed by the entering firm only and according to the rating guidelines listed on page 4.

RESEARCH OR CONSULTING SERVICES - Entries in Category A (refer to page 5 for category listing) must be accompanied by a supplementary REPORT containing findings, graphs, drawings and other material as applicable.

AWARD LEVELS

Grand Winners. One winner from each Category will be selected from the eligible submissions by vote of the judges.

Honor Awards. Honor Awards will be given to those projects worthy of recognition by the judges.

Grand Conceptor Award. A Grand Conceptor Award will be selected from the eligible Grand Winners. This will not be announced until the Awards Ceremony.

All Grand Winners and Honor Award Recipients are eligible to progress to the National ACEC EEA Competition, at the firm's expense. ACEC National rules and submission criteria may differ from ACEC of Louisiana’s.

Awards will be presented to the firm and owner/client at the Engineering Excellence Awards Ceremony to be held the evening of November 5, 2020 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

**Additional awards may be ordered at the winner’s expense.