Architects Day

Please join your colleagues in Harrisburg, Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at AIA Pennsylvania's Annual Architects Day and Awards Program at the State Capitol.

We will be educating our state representatives and senators about current legislative issues that impact
your business. Later in the day, we will celebrate
excellence in design in Pennsylvania with the
presentation of the 2011 Awards Program.

Come and advocate on behalf of architects and the profession of architecture.

For detailed information and to register, visit www.aiapa.org.

All members are invited to participate!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Powell, Trachtman, Logan, Carrle & Lombardo

Langan Engineering and Environmental Services
 

State Budget Update

On March 8, Gov. Tom Corbett released a $27.3 billion budget, which slashed $866 million out of current spending through cuts in virtually every spending area. The budget proposal represents one of the largest state government budget cuts in recent memory.

 The spending cuts take the state back to 2008-09 spending levels with public schools, state-related and state-owned universities, and the Department of Community and Economic Development the target of the biggest hits.

 The budget proposal reduces basic education funding from $5.8 billion to $5.3 billion. It provides for school choice vouchers, while asking districts to negotiate with unions to freeze teachers' salaries and to eliminate salary bumps for those who earn master's degrees.

 DCED funding would be slashed from $337.9 million to $223.6 million which has been a pass-through for what has become known as "walking-around-money" -- grants for legislators' pet projects.

 The budget for the Pennsylvania State University's budget has gone from $334 million to $164 million, along with 50 percent cuts for the other state-related schools, including University of Pittsburgh, Lincoln University and Temple University. Support for the 14 state-owned universities in the State System of Higher Education, which includes Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and Indiana was halved in the budget proposal.

 The Governor said he would be looking for salary roll backs and freezes for state employees, as well as increasing their contributions to health care benefits.

 Acting Budget Secretary Charles Zogby said 1,500 state jobs are being eliminated in the budget with 500 of the jobs at New Castle Youth Development Center as well as forensic psychiatry jobs at state hospitals in Torrance and Norristown. Those jobs would be contracted out to private companies.

 Zogby did indicate there are plans to hire 230 more state troopers to boost ranks in advance of significant anticipated trooper retirements in coming years.

 Environmental protection funding would decrease from $147 million to $140 million, even as more and more energy companies are introducing chemicals into the ground as they drill for natural gas. Current permit fees and fines on gas drillers are not set to rise. That permit process is being reviewed to see how to reduce the current application backlog.

 Increases are in the budget proposal for welfare funding by $607.7 million and health funding by $61.5 million. Military and Veterans Affairs is listed with an increase of $19.6 million, state police at $10 million and the Department of Revenue gets $8 million.

The state's research and development tax credit for businesses would rise by $15 million, for a total of $55 million with the current $60 million in film production tax credits remaining at current funding levels.

 The House and Senate Appropriation Committees continue to have discussions and the current proposal by the Governor is unlikely to remain in its current form. Although this budget has met some opposition, both chambers believe a budget passed by the end of May is still entirely possible.   AIA Pennsylvania is monitoring the process for potential impacts on our agenda.

 

Piccola Breakfast of Champions

 On Wednesday, March 2, AIA Central Pennsylvania hosted a Breakfast of Champions event for Sen. Jeffrey Piccola (R-15 Dauphin and York Counties) at the AIA Pennsylvania offices in Harrisburg. Senator Piccola is an important member of the State Senate as Chairman of the Education Committee and a member of the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committees.

 Richard Gribble, AIA; Bruce R. Johnson, AIA; Carl Kanaskie, AIA; Matthew R. Luttrell, AIA; Vern McKissick, AIA; F. Joshua Millman, AIA; and Bret Peters, AIA attended the event. During the breakfast, discussion focused on current events in the State Capitol and AIA Pennsylvania issues that the senator is focused on in the early days of the new administration in Harrisburg.

 Breakfast of Champions events help AIA Pennsylvania build a direct connection between legislators and architects. This one-on-one contact builds relationships with the policy makers who influence the policy that directly impacts your profession on a day-to-day basis.

 

Pennsylvania Architects PAC

Pennsylvania's Statewide Conference on Heritage
 
The 12^th Byways to the Past Conference and the

33^rd Preservation Partnerships Conference will be held jointly May 17-19, 2011 in Harrisburg.

The Statewide Conference on Heritage is one of the Middle Atlantic region's largest community and heritage preservation gatherings.  The conference is co-sponsored by PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Preservation Pennsylvania, the Federal Highway Administration, Heritage PA and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  The conference week will feature workshops, sessions and speakers from the historic preservation, archaeological, heritage tourism, transportation, legislative, and planning communities, including a number of nationally known speakers and subjects of state, regional and national importance.

You can preview the conference schedule at www.pennbyways.com.