May 13–16, 2024 | Grand Hyatt | Washington, DC

Capitol Hill Visits

A core feature of ACEC’s Annual Convention & Legislative Summit is our lobbying program, where hundreds of ACEC’s “citizen lobbyists” head to Capitol Hill to engage lawmakers on key industry priorities.

ACEC has made good progress on a number of those priorities over the past year, including better fee terms for firms working for DOD agencies, reforms to the NEPA process, and H-1B visa administrative reforms to assist with the workforce challenge, to name a few.  Unfortunately, we still have a great deal of unfinished business, including the critical need to restore the deductibility of R&D expenses.  ACEC remains focused on getting this done well in advance of the Convention, but continued inaction in the Senate may require us to make this a priority during our Convention lobbying push.

We also want to engage lawmakers on industry priorities related to a broader tax debate that will occur next year when several important tax provisions from the 2017 law expire, including the 20 percent tax deduction we fought so hard to secure for our members.  We will also talk to lawmakers about the future of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and particularly the federal surface transportation programs that expire in the next Congress.  Both the tax and infrastructure issues that will emerge in 2025 represent very forward-looking and strategic priorities for our industry, and it will be critical for us to lay the groundwork now for success.

Key Convention Lobbying Priorities

  • Tax & Innovation
  • Infrastructure Investment
  • Expanding the Talent Pipeline

How to Engage

  • Lobbying visits are typically coordinated through the ACEC State Organizations, so members are encouraged to contact the ACEC State Executive in their home state to participate.
  • For ACEC members who are making their own appointments with members of their congressional delegation, use this meeting request form to request a meeting, and refer to the contact information for each congressional office.  E-mail the meeting request to the Chief of Staff and Scheduler, and note that they may not be able to provide a meeting date and time until closer to the Convention (but it helps to make the request early).
  • Register for our free online class on the key lobbying issues on Tuesday, May 7 at 1 pm ET and let your members know that all convention registrants are welcome to attend as well. There will also be an overview of the lobbying issues during the general session on Tuesday, May 14 at noon.

ACEC’s Advocacy staff are here to help you every step of the way – please let us know if you have any questions or if we can do anything to help you get started.  Thank you for your help and involvement, and I look forward to seeing everyone in May!