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The First Word 04.30.2024
Last week the legislature completed its opposite body of origin deadline with remaining ~800 "active" bills--this year began with over 4,000 active bills. Many of the active bills if they advance will become part of the budget, go to a conference committee, not be heard or will be heard and voted on. The constitutional deadline is the last Friday of May however it is rare for the legislature to come back after Memorial Day holiday. Many members also have elections and are anxious to get out and campaign.

The House and Senate leadership continue to have an ongoing dispute about the budget which spilled over to some policy bills not receiving hearings. Senate Pro-Tem Treat has stated the Governor personally hates him. Treat says Stitt has “personal hatred” for him (msn.com) and Treat says that could be why Governor Stitt veto's more Senate bills than other bills. There are also rumors coming from the Governor's office if a .25% tax cut is not in the budget he will call a special session before the June 18th primary elections.

We have an outstanding delegation going again this year for the ACEC Annual Meeting in Washington DC. We are coordinated with our delegation and messaging to our Oklahoma members of Congress thanks to Evan Handy. We are going to advocate for the R&D tax credit. Oklahoma also received some excellent news that Congressman Tom Cole will serve as Appropriations Chairman---a huge victory for Oklahoma!

A few items below:

We only have 4 attendees registered for the MidStates Meeting. Room block ends May 2! Many members have expressed to me they are planning to attend. Please get registered! See info below or click 2024 ACEC Midwest States Conference (acecmo.org)

Sign up for General Membership Meeting-Senator Elect Avery Frix is our speaker and Scholarship Award Winner Hannah Jaeger will attend as well.
Sign up for Intern Capitol Tour
All registration is below in Upcoming Events!!
Potential New Board Position with AOGC- In our last quarterly board meeting we discussed the potential of adding a new construction board member mirroring what AOGC currently does with an Engineering board position. We will be discussing this opportunity at the next board and general membership meeting in Tulsa-May 9th. Sign up in upcoming events.

Board Member Positions Opening: Our immediate past chairman is rotating off the board and our National Director position will also be open this year. If you have an interest in serving on the board please email our office info@acecok.org.

Announcement: MJ Barton-the Tribal & Programs Outreach Manager for the Oklahoma Broadband Office reached out and shared they will be approving upwards of $1.9 billion in broadband grants to expand access to broadband to rural Oklahomans. They currently looking for a list of engineers and engineering companies that would work on broadband infrastructure projects. If you or your firm would like to be added to their website so that municipalities, tribal nations, and companies in need of these specific services can find information in one place please contact MJ.


MJ Barton I Tribal & Programs Outreach Manager
Oklahoma Broadband Office
Work I 405-517-2393



Join US for the Midwest States Conference

The 2024 Midwest States Conference will be held in Kansas City, MO June 12 - June 14. The full agenda is available here and provides many exciting extracurricular activities surrounding the conference.

Conference Registration: The early-bird deadline to register for the conference is Tuesday, May 28, 2024. To register for the 2024 Midwest States Conference, click here.
 
Early-Bird Registration Fee:
Members - $695.00;
Spouses/Guests - $400.00;
Child (18 & over) - $175.00;
Child (17 & under) - $150.00.

HOTEL Information:
Crossroads Hotel
2101 Central Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
 
The room block for the conference will be held until Thursday, May 2, 2024. The Kansas City Royals baseball team however has home games that overlap our meeting so we strongly urge you reserve your sleeping room by Friday, April 12, 2024. Call 866-531-2400 and refer to our group code “ACEC MSC” to get our group rate of $229.00 single/double. You can also book your sleeping room online. To see more information on the hotel, click here. To see the Kansas City Area Visitors Guide, click here.

PAC Giving

Thank you for your generous support of our pac. We are about to enter an election year and your contribution will be critical in electing legislators supportive of our agenda.
From ACEC National:

The bipartisan leaders of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee unveiled the final text of a negotiated four-year reauthorization of federal aviation programs and airport funding.
 
The final bill includes most of the priorities that we had highlighted for the committees.
 
Key provisions:
  • Provides $4 billion in annual Airport Improvement Program funding for Fiscal Years 2025-2028, an increase of $650 million per year above current levels.
  • Authorizes an additional $200 million annually for airport resilience and runway safety grants.
  • Amends existing Design-Build authority to include Construction Manager At-Risk and Progressive Design Build and creates a pilot program for five Integrated Project Delivery projects.
  • Establishes a $350 million reimbursement program for airport sponsors to replace firefighting equipment and foam associated with PFAS, including costs for cleaning and disposal of equipment and wastewater treatment.
  • Advances the development of a comprehensive system and strategy for safely integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft into the national airspace, including
  • a regulatory pathway and standards for operations beyond-visual-line-of-sight;
  • a risk-based approach in reviewing waiver requests under part 107;
  • a grant program to support the use of UAS when inspecting, repairing, or constructing critical infrastructure; and,
  • renewal and expansion of UAS test ranges.
 
An initial procedural vote on the bill is scheduled in the Senate on Wednesday, May 1. The current short-term extension of existing programs expires on May 10.
 
Click here for a section-by-section summary of the bill from the committees.

Upcoming Events

May 9
Board and Quarterly Membership Meeting
Main Street Loft
202 S Main St #201, Broken Arrow
3pm Board Meeting and 4pm General Membership Meeting
Broken Arrow, OK
Register here (no cost)
Senator Avery Frix to speak

ACEC National Conference
Washington DC
May 13-16

ACEC Midwest States Conference
Kansas City, MO
June 12-14
registration above

ACEC OKLAHOMA Member Summer Intern State Capitol Tour
Oklahoma City, OK
June 24 1:30 PM

ACEC OK Board and General Membership Meeting
OKC, OK
August 20th
3pm Board and 4pm General Membership
Save the Date


ACEC OKLAHOMA Emerging Leaders Session One
Tulsa, OK
August 22-23
Save the Date

Oklahoma City, OK
Sept. 19-20
Save the Date

ACEC OKLAHOMA Emerging Leaders Session Two
Oklahoma City, OK
Sep 12-13
Save the Date

ACEC OKLAHOMA Emerging Leaders Session Three
Stillwater, OK
Oct 3-4
Save the Date

ACEC Fall Conference
New Orleans, LA
October 20-23
Save the Date

Board and General Membership Meeting
November 6
3pm Board and 4pm General Membership
Tulsa OK

EEA Entries Due
December 5

2025 Board and General Membership Meeting / EEA Awards
Tulsa, OK
​​​​​​​Feb 6
Save the date
Mike Thompson
President & CEO
220 N.E. 28th Street, Suite 135
Oklahoma City, OK 73105