Take-Aways From the ACEC Spring Legislative Conference

Thirty-two representatives from North Carolina traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in informative committee and speaker sessions as part of the ACEC Spring Legislative Conference, May 18-21, 2025. 

The North Carolina delegation took their seats at the Board table to conduct essential industry business. Watch the inspirational Helene Recovery roll-call video below, which was met with applause during the opening meeting.

National Dues Increase

During the ACEC National Board Meeting, the proposed three-year budget was approved. This budget includes a national dues increase of 2.5%, in addition to the annual consumer price index (CPI) increase. It is important to note that ACEC/NC considered implementing a regional CPI of 1.9% but ultimately chose not to adopt this increase. Therefore, North Carolina dues will remain at the same level as those set for the 2024-25 period.

Engineering Excellence

The SPHERE, Las Vegas’s multi-dimensional cinematic interactive experience and musical venue, won the 2025 Engineering Excellence, Grand Conceptor Award.

Designed by Populus, with structural engineering by Severud Associates/Walter P. Moore and construction by AECOM, this marvel took over 4 years to construct and cost $2.3 billion. If you want to really geek out, check out the Sphere website to dive into the science behind the design.

Industry Priorities

During the trip, many members met with their congressional delegation to urge the passage of the House budget bill, which incorporates several of our industry’s tax priorities. The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ permanently extends the Trump-era tax cuts, averting a 22% tax increase for the average taxpayer. Specifically, the bill features the following highlights:

• The TCJA individual rates are extended permanently.
• The Section 199A pass-through deduction is extended permanently and increased from 20% to 23%.
• The higher individual alternative minimum tax (AMT) levels are permanently extended.
• The R&D amortization requirement is suspended for five years from 1/1/25 through 12/31/29 (the committee staff made it clear during the briefing I was invited to attend that this was due to budget constraints).

IIJA 2.0 in the Works

Attendees also heard from House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chair, Sam Graves (6th-MO), that his committee will bring to the floor a Surface Transportation Bill well in advance of the expiration of the IIJA, set to expire at the end of 2026. 
 
Lastly, a delegation from ACEC met with Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy on May 19th to solidify a collaborative partnership between the industry and the agency for delivering future infrastructure projects.
 
A special thanks to all attendees from NC who traveled to these important events. We were proud to have such a large group present. 

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