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House Bill 5143 and Senate Bill 125 (tie-barred) were passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor on July 11. The bills require MDOT to establish a local grade separation grant program to provide grants to cities, villages, and road commissions. Awarded grant funds may be used by the recipient for any stage of design and construction related to the grade separation project. Parameters for prioritizing the approval of funding applications are included in HB 5143 and SB 125 creates a Local Grade Separation Fund within the State Treasury. ACEC supported the bills.
House Bills 4352 and 4353 were narrowly passed by the full House on June 27 and have been referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The bills would amend PA 51 to allow MDOT to designate a highway lane that is newly constructed using federal funds for the exclusive use of high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs). The bills would authorize the creation of HOV lanes on the I-75 Modernization project as proposed in the design. ACEC supported the bills in the House.
The legislature passed an $82 billion state budget for FY 2024 before breaking for the summer. According to the Governor’s recent press release, the following funds will be used to improve infrastructure:
Roads
- $416 million to fix the roads and build up public infrastructure, improving quality of life.
- $80 million for a local bridge bundling program to help local governments fix more than 20 bridges, reconnecting communities across the state.
- $6.6 million to speed up the permitting process, helping build all kinds of infrastructure faster and power economic development.
Water
- Nearly $600 million for water infrastructure across Michigan, helping replace thousands of lead service lines, rebuild sewers, and so much more.
- $20 million for contaminated site cleanup, protecting communities from impacts of former industrial sites.
Transit
- $70 million to improve transit access, helping Michiganders get around more safely, quickly, and comfortably.
- $45 million for local bus operations, supporting affordable transportation options.
- $3.5 million for shared streets and spaces, helping cities and transit agencies create options for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Electrification & Clean Energy
- $150 million to reopen the Palisades nuclear power plant.
- $125 million to purchase electric school buses, improving air quality and reducing road noise.
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$50 million for the MI Healthy Schools program, improving air and water quality in schools. $43 million for grid resiliency: reduces power outages during extreme weather events.
- $30 million for renewable ready communities, helping local governments install renewable energy at scale.
- $21.3 million for electric vehicle and renewable energy charging infrastructure.
- $5 million for Lake Michigan EV Circuit to build the best electrified road trip in the continent along Lake Michigan, spurring tourism economy.
- $5 million for a battery recycling research hub, providing cutting-edge research in mobility and electrification sector.
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ACEC/Michigan
2023 Emerging Leaders Program
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The 2023 ACEC/Michigan Emerging Leaders Program will kick off its first session right after Labor Day. This popular program will be held over three sessions in September, October and November.
The Emerging Leaders Program is for individuals committed to developing their leadership abilities. This program imparts specific skills and competencies identified by top ACEC/Michigan principals as critical for leadership success. These highly interactive sessions are taught by experts in the field of business administration and people management in professional services firms.
The class will enjoy a dynamic schedule of topics including: Strategic Planning, Governmental Affairs, Risk Management, Listening and Negotiation Skills, Leadership, Business Development, Economics of Private Practice, and the Senior Leaders Roundtable: From Management to Leadership - Secrets of Success.
If you're interested in having an emerging leader from your firm participate in a future Emerging Leaders Program, please visit our website to claim a spot on the waiting list for the 2024 class!
Congratulations to the following members of the
2023 Emerging Leaders Program:
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| Ross Becker
(Great Lakes Engineering) | Sam Jablonowski (Abonmarche) | Casey Potts
(RS&H Michigan) | | Nik Berzkalns
(Quandel Consultants) | Andrew Johnstone
(Hubbell, Roth & Clark) | David Root
(Giffels Webster) | | Dani Booms
(HNTB) | Duncan McLean
(FK Engineering) | Andrew Rudd
(Wightman) | | Shelby Byrne
(Tetra Tech) | Mike Miller
(RS Engineering) | Steven Rutkowski
(Spicer Group) | | Micah Doorn
(AECOM) | Kevin Navaroli
(Nowak & Fraus) | Cody Weber
(Progressive AE) | | Dan Feenstra
(ROWE PSC) | Deniada Nikollari
(WSP Michigan) | Kurtis Weslock
(IBI Group) | | Heather Gendron
(Spalding DeDecker) | Ryan Nowinski
(Tyme Consulting Engineers) | Ross Wilberding
(Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick) | | Joshua Glowski
(GPI) | Whitney Pizzala
(AR Engineering) | Nick Yuvan
(Hennessey Engineers) | | Matt Hulst
(Prein&Newhof) |
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ACEC/Michigan Engineering & Surveying Excellence Awards | |
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ACEC/Michigan celebrates and promotes achievements by engineering companies through its annual Engineering & Surveying Excellence Awards.
Projects from across the state compete each year for the coveted "Eminent Conceptor" Award. In early November, a panel of judges will evaluate the projects based on innovation, complexity, client satisfaction and future value to the profession. Intents to enter this year's competition are due August 18, with completed project submittals due by September 22.
Award recipients will be recognized on March 9, 2024 during the awards gala, which will be held at the One Campus Martius - 16th Floor, Detroit. Visit the ACEC/M website for more information.
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ACEC/Michigan CEO Roundtables
ACEC/Michigan CEO Roundtables provide an invaluable opportunity to network and discuss important business topics with Michigan industry leaders. After a brief update of association issues, we will hold a roundtable discussion about items affecting engineering firms. Have an issue that is affecting your firm profitability? Let’s talk about it!
Register for the date and location that is most convenient for you:
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ASCE Region 3 Governor Appointment | |
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Melinda (Myndi) L. Bacon, PE, M.ASCE, has been appointed as ASCE's Region 3 Governor. Duties of the Geographic Region Governor shall include, but are not limited to, preparation for, attendance at and participation in meetings of the Geographic Region Board of Governors; service on Society-level committees to which she is appointed; attendance to provide support at meetings of the Michigan Sections, Michigan Branches, student organizations, technical and professional groups, and Younger Members; and Multi-Region Leadership Conferences, and Younger Member forums. Region 3 is comprised of the states of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin, along with the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Nunavut, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.
Myndi stated the following about her appointment:
"I specialize in geotechnical engineering services and am passionate about civil engineering. My most gratifying projects are for transportation (public) infrastructure. Being the 2018 Michigan Infrastructure Report Card Chair and assisting with the current 2023 report card for Michigan, as Region 3 Governor I would like to assist other Region 3 states with their report cards. Also, I would be interested in being involved on the Society-level Committee for America’s Infrastructure.
I am also very passionate about K-12 outreach and have held Lego building contests at my children’s public school for kindergarten to sixth graders for the past 10 years. I would like to promote Civil Engineering and ASCE as a Region 3 Governor to more K-12 and College students in our region. I look forward to serving the Society and learning about more ways I can strengthen and grow myself and the Society in the future."
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Construction Science Expo Coming to Lansing | |
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We are excited to announce ACEC/Michigan and ASCE Michigan Section will be partnering with construction associations and labor organizations to offer the 1st ever Lansing Construction Science Expo at the Impression 5 Science Center on October 3, 2023. Stay tuned for more details.
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MSPE News
Summer is usually a slower time of year for the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers. Our conference has concluded, volunteers are busy with projects in the field or enjoying vacations with their families, and the legislature is generally less active this time of year (though that can change).
However, that doesn’t mean that the services MSPE provides come to a screeching halt. Education courses provided by Red Vector can still be purchased on our website. Engineering firms looking for new employees can post openings on our career center. Engineers looking to change jobs can post their resume to our career center as well. And MSPE, along with our partners in the Architects, Engineers, and Surveyors Legislative Coalition, is still keeping an eye out for legislation that will impact licensed design professionals in Michigan.
MSPE and its chapters utilize the summer lull to begin planning for the upcoming year, with many chapters planning fundraising golf outings for early fall to help support engineering scholarship programs. The MSPE board is in the beginning stages of developing a new strategic plan as we enter the post-pandemic world. Planning will also begin soon for the 2024 MSPE Annual Conference.
Finally, summer brings the National Society of Professional Engineers conference, held August 2-4 in Louisville, KY. The NSPE conference coincides with the celebration of PE Day on August 2, where we celebrate and show our appreciation for all licensed engineers across the world!
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ACEC/Michigan will be holding an Ethics Webinar on September 25, 2023. The Michigan Professional Engineers Board has implemented changes to the General Rules for Continuing Education requirements for all licensed Professional Engineers. The new Rules require 2 CEUs in Ethics under Rule 339.16040: “Of the 30 hours, at least 2 hours of continuing education must be earned in ethics, as it relates to professional engineering.”
Experienced presenters from AXA XL and PCIA will lead the discussion. Complete details and registration information are on the ACEC/Michigan website.
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ACEC/Michigan Salary Survey | |
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This fall, ACEC/Michigan will work with The Owens Group to conduct a salary, benefits, and business practices survey of member firms. The survey will include compensation information for surveyed jobs, employee benefits, human resources, business practices, and trending topics of interest to ACEC member firms.
The survey will be launched in early September and will be finalized by the end of October. We encourage all firms to participate in the survey so the most accurate data can be provided. An E-survey spreadsheet will be provided to all firms who purchase the survey results and will include salary and benefit information that can be easily used for further analysis specific to your firm. Please be on the lookout for more information.
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2023 - 2024 Events Calendar | |
Michigan Engineering News
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