ASCE Region 6 Recap from the Legislative Fly-In
Author: Sean Merrell PE, PTOE, F.ASCE | ASCE Region 6 Director
April 2023
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This year we had beautiful weather on March 1-3 for the ASCE Legislative Fly-in as we actually got to meet face-to-face with our Members of Congress and their senior legislative staff in Washington, DC. This was an exclusive and intensive two-day event providing participants with professional development in honing their skills in the public policy process and advocacy, as well as valuable peer-to-peer networking with fellow ASCE influencers. We also advanced the Society’s collective policy priorities while learning beneficial leadership skills we can bring back to the workplace.
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The ask of our Legislators this year focused on:
- Continued support of the IIJA by ensuring the funding provided is allocated in a timely manner to the appropriate agencies
- Reauthorization of the FAA funding
- Reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program
- Support in championing resilient infrastructure
We had over 250 ASCE advocates with us on Capitol Hill, including 17 from Texas and 3 from New Mexico.
Some of the activities we participated in included:
- Exclusive briefing sessions on key activity in Congress impacting the profession, new regulations and implementation plans, and ASCE’s legislative priorities.
- Interactive training on advocacy, communicating your “ask”, and building relationships with your elected leaders — including pre-event webinars.
- Networking with your ASCE peers from across the country.
- Virtual meetings with your Members of Congress or their staff.
- Tips on continuing valuable relationships with your elected officials once you return home.
Our speakers this year included:
- ASCE Global President Maria Lehman
- ASCE Global President Elect Marsia Geldert-Murphy
- Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt
- AASHTO President Roger Millar
- Brad Fitch (President & CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation)
- Joe St. George (National Political Editor from Scripps News)
- The Department of Transportation Secretary for Washington State, Wisconsin, Delaware and Louisiana
Please consider participating next year as the program continues to improve and grow every year.
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