This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Committee of Corporate Architects and Facility Management and Committee on Architecture for Education .
-------------------------------------------
Once the election is over, Congress and the White House will debate major issues that could impact the architecture profession for years to come. Will taxes on architecture firms increase? Will there be funding for major infrastructure projects that create jobs? Will changes in regulations make it easier or more difficult for firms to complete projects?
For more than 150 years the AIA has advocated in Washington for policies that help architects get to work designing great buildings and communities. With major challenges facing policymakers, it is more important than ever that the profession speak up for its core values.
That is why we want to hear from you: What are the major issues that the AIA should raise to our elected leaders? How should the AIA speak up for architects? How can the AIA more effectively advance policies that empower architects to lead?
Please take this short survey to share your views on the AIA's 2013 policy agenda.
The AIA doesn't have the loudest voice in Washington. But it has gotten things done because AIA members have stood up and expressed their views. In recent years the AIA has succeeded in:
- Enacting tax incentives for sustainable design
- Increasing access to private sector financing for building projects
- Blocking tax increases on small architecture firms
- Reducing red tape that holds architects back
- Promoting historic preservation and affordable housing in communities across the nation
Next year, policymakers in Washington will debate policies that have dramatic impacts on how architects practice. The tax rates architects and their clients pay may change. Funding for community development and infrastructure projects may be cut. Sources of financing for architecture firms and the projects they design could change. No matter who wins the election in November, architects need to be a part of the discussion.
By filling out this short survey, you will help shape the policies that the AIA presents to Congress and the White House in 2013. With your help, we will make sure that when major decisions are made in Washington, architects are at the table.
Please take a moment to share your views with us. Click here to take the survey by October 31.
-------------------------------------------
Andrew Goldberg Assoc. AIA
Managing Director, Government Relations and Outreach
The American Institute of Architects
Washington DC
-------------------------------------------