NYS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
AIA New York State News ARTICLE BY GIUSEPPE ANZALONE, AIA PHOTOS BY SARAH DRAKE, AIA
Dear members and friends, In case you didn’t know I have been on the Government Affairs Committee for AIA New York State (AIA NYS) for the last 6 years. I have prepared this article in an effort to keep you informed of the on-goings at AIA New York State in Albany. I have been involved in the Advocacy Day (Lobby Day) events ever since joining the Board of Directors at AIA NYS. The annual Advocacy Day is typically held around late April or early May (it was planned for April 29th this year) and it is an essential part of what AIA NYS organizes to make sure that proposed bills and laws, with the best intentions for our profession, are voted on. The AIA NYS Government Affairs Committee reviews all the proposals to make sure they represent the values we believe in and to ensure they are fair for our industry. We also review 20
proposals by our legislatures that may impact us indirectly and submit comments because it may be the right thing to do. For example, we have supported bills in the past, whereby tax credits or other incentives are provided to property owners to help them complete their work. Another popular bill, called the “Good Samaritan” bill, would allow architects and engineers to provide assistance after a natural disaster (free of charge) without fear of liability. In some cases, we have also been successful in opposing bills that could have had adverse effects on us and thereby keeping them from moving ahead. Since as long as I can remember, the Government Affairs Committee has been consistently re-evaluating Advocacy Day to make it more efficient. Currently, we meet with legislators on Advocacy Day and have limited follow up with them other times of the year. This approach is ineffective primarily because it relies on a one-day event and most participants are not up to speed on the proposals and therefore ffairs Committee decided to establish a Grassroots Advocacy Taskforce to reform the annual ‘Architects in Albany Advocacy Day’. The Taskforce is comprised of AIA members across New York State. Of course, I volunteered to be on this taskforce and we have been meeting regularly with the since March 25th via teleconference, despite the
