2021-2022 AIA Pennsylvania Legislative Survey

In order to continue advocating for our members, we need to hear from you! Your opinions and ideas help AIA Pennsylvania advocate for common-sense policies on key issues that promote the value of design, combat climate change, design equitable communities, position firms for success, and ultimately put architects to work.

Please take the time to fill out the 2021-2022 legislative survey to help further shape the legislative agenda for the organization that represents you in Harrisburg. Your responses will help us make the case to state legislators that architects bring design thinking to the table to affect positive and equitable social, environmental, and economic outcomes.

The profession and the commonwealth’s communities need your insights to effectively recover and rebuild. Your feedback will dictate our legislative priorities for the 2021-2022 legislative session and supplement AIA Pennsylvania's strategic plan framework, as outlined in this chart.

Looking for guidance or background on any of the issues covered in the survey? Catch the replay of "An Interactive Guide to the 2021-2022 Legislative Priorities."

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* 1. What is your first name?

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* 2. What is your last name?

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* 3. At what email address would you like to be contacted?

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* 4. Select your AIA membership level.

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* 5. Please indicate the size of your practice.

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* 6. Do you currently serve on any AIA National, State, or Local committees? 

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* 7. Do you know who your State Representative and State Senator are?

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* 8. If you answered no to the question above. Legislators are determined by where you live. For legislator matching purposes please list your home address below. This information will be kept confidential. You can also find your legislators via this link. 

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* 9. Please rank the following state legislative issues by their level (tier) of importance.

 Select Tier 1, 2 or 3 for each item. *Tier 1 being most important.

  Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
Encroachment on the Practice of Architecture
Building Codes Updates and Protection
Mandatory Continuing Education of Architects
Reforming and Funding the Public School Construction ( PlanCon)
Expand Public- Private Partnerships (P3)
Historic Preservation
State Procurement
Green Buildings and Sustainability
Professional Services Tax
Mechanics Lien for Design Professionals
Student Loan Forgiveness for Architectural Graduates
Statute of Repose and Tort Reform
Issues related to running your business or firm (non-architectural) 
Equitable Communities
Affordable Housing
Professional Development

For over ten years, AIA Pennsylvania has advocated for a mandatory continuing education (MCE) requirement in Pennsylvania. In the 2016-2017 session, this bill made it through the House and to the Senate Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure where it never received a vote. Last session, a bill was not introduced due to a significant threat of encroachment. AIA members are already required to complete MCE to satisfy their membership, this bill would require it by law for all licensed architects in Pennsylvania.

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* 10. Do you support Mandatory Continuing Education for Registered Architects in Pennsylvania upon renewal of their license?

Encroachment

In recent years, we have seen a number of other industries related to the construction and design field start to encroach on the practice of architects. We have seen these cases intensify with the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the unlicensed practice of architecture in private practice, the public sector, and creative policy changes and proposals in the General Assembly. Those that would like to change the profession of architecture to benefit their occupations and professions include contractors, drafters, interior designers, engineers, energy savings companies (ESCOs), construction managers, and more. In this upcoming legislative session, AIA Pennsylvania aims to curtail this encroachment and protect the future of the profession of architecture.

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* 11. Do you see others encroaching on the practice of architecture in your daily work?

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* 12. What industry or profession do you believe has the potential to take jobs, duties, or responsibilities away from architects?

  Biggest Threat Moderate Threat Not a Threat
Energy Savings Companies
Engineers
Contractors
Interior Designers
Artificial Intelligence
Drafters and BIM operators
Construction Managers
Large Real Estate Companies
Commercial Roofing or Manufacturing Companies
Real Estate Project Managers

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* 13. Can you give an example of the occupations or professions that you believe are encroaching on architectural practice?

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* 14. Pennsylvania law states that only an architect or engineer can sign and seal construction documents for permit, others are seeking that privilege. Should other individuals in the design industry have the ability to sign and seal construction documents without using the services of an architect or engineer?

Building Codes
The Pennsylvania Construction Code Act (Act 45 of 1999) established the basic requirements for the Uniform Construction Code. It has been altered thirteen times since becoming law. The Uniform Construction Code (UCC) Review and Advisory Council (RAC) was established by the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act (PCCA). The Council consists of 21 members, including two architects, with appointments made by the Governor and the General Assembly. The Council is charged with making recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly and Labor & Industry regarding proposed changes to the PCCA. The Council is also charged with reviewing the most recent triennial building code updates published by the International Code Council (ICC). 

AIA Pennsylvania was an active supporter of Act 36 of 2017 which updated the PA UCC to the 2015 ICC Codes and the Philadelphia Building code to 2018 ICC IBC for commercial construction. AIA Pennsylvania currently supports an opt-out process by 2/3 majority every 3 years as the ICC Codes are released. This means automatic adoption of the latest suite of codes and individual code sections must achieve a 2/3 vote of the RAC to be taken out.

Currently, in Pennsylvania, we are part of an opt-in voting process every 4.5 years. This means the RAC votes on each code section and requires a 2/3 majority to adopt each one. Furthermore, the delay of 4.5 years means the next version of ICC codes (2018) will not be considered for adoption until mid-2021 and may not take effect until 2022 at the earliest. Read more about the code adoption process here.

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* 15. What future changes would you like to see made to the building codes adoption process in Pennsylvania?

Development & Housing
AIA Pennsylvania is interested in advocating for sustainable and community-conscious new development and re-development at all levels. Most development requirements are dictated at the local level, however, there are some policy changes that the state can pursue including tax credits. For example, Pennsylvania has a state Historic Tax Credit and a Housing Tax Credit. AIA Pennsylvania is interested in supporting tools for architects and incentives for developers to invest in historic preservation and affordable housing. 

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* 16. In addition to establishing and expanding tax credits, what other state laws or regulations could AIA PA explore to increase investment in affordable housing and community planning?

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* 17. Do you work on single-family residential projects?

Prosperity and Business Ownership (non-architectural)
According to data from AIA National, over 70% of firms in Pennsylvania qualify as "small firms". AIA Pennsylvania wants to make sure that the owners of firms small and large are benefiting from policies that promote small business and prosperity. AIA Pennsylvania partners with the National Federation of Independent Business and the PA Chamber on most of these issues. Currently, Pennsylvania small businesses are struggling to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 and at a disadvantage because state tax laws act as a barrier to the kind of growth and investment spurred by national trends.

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* 18. How did the COVID-19 Pandemic impact your business? Are there any legislative or public programs that AIA Pennsylvania should pursue to help businesses in the wake of the pandemic? 

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* 19. What legislative initiatives or changes would you like to see implemented regarding your small business?

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* 20. What are the biggest regulatory, legal, or policy issues that impact the business of your architecture firm?

Energy and the Environment

The AIA Pennsylvania Subcommittee on the Environment was re-established in 2018.  This subcommittee hopes to lead or help lead the discussion in Pennsylvania regarding sustainability in the built environment and advocate for the awareness, recognition and enabling of legislation that encourages the principles of resource efficiency, renewable energy, integrated design, life cycle thinking, durability, resiliency, walkable communities and healthy interiors. The goal is to promote green building and sustainability efforts, events, conferences, successful projects and tours across the Commonwealth.

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* 21. AIA Pennsylvania supports energy efficiency in the built environment. All of these issues listed below are priorities. For the purposes of the survey and political education, please rank the following issues by their immediate importance in Pennsylvania as we advocate for energy efficiency.

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* 22. What policies or laws could incentivize green building in Pennsylvania?

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* 23. AIA National has identified climate action as a priority. Do you support AIA PA advocating for statewide policies to combat climate change including managing carbon, more stringent energy codes, and educating legislators?

Legal Reform

AIA Pennsylvania established a Legal Reform Subcommittee comprised of architects, engineers, and attorneys to assess liability issues and work toward reasonable tort and other legal reforms for design professionals. This subcommittee is charged with developing legislation that impacts the practice of architecture. 

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* 24. Do you support a reduction in the Statute of Repose from 12 years to 6 years for architect's liability on construction projects in Pennsylvania?

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* 25. Do you support expanding the Mechanic's Lien law in Pennsylvania to make it more accessible for Architects and Engineers to utilize?

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* 26. What other legal reforms or reductions in liability could help you in your practice?

Procurement
AIA Pennsylvania meets with the Department of General Services quarterly to discuss their modernization and how to engage design professionals to submit for public work. 

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* 27. Does your firm do public work?

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* 28. Do you support the modernization of Pennsylvania's procurement code to eliminate the Separations Act?

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* 29. Do you support including other delivery methods like design-build, CM at Risk, and Design- bid- build into our procurement code for public projects? Why or Why not?

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

AIA Pennsylvania recently established an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee that examines internal and external barriers to increasing diversity within the profession and creating more equitable and inclusive communities in the Commonwealth.  We would like to focus on laws, regulations, and policies that affect the larger communities that architects help to design and create in the Commonwealth. 

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* 30. AIA Pennsylvania supports advocating for policies that increase equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) in the construction industry and in our communities. What are some policy initiatives that you think would be appropriate and important to pursue to increase EDI? Examples could include investment in housing and infrastructure, investment in public places like schools and community infrastructure, expanding mass transit, addressing energy poverty, evaluating zoning and housing policies etc.

AIA Pennsylvania Committees and Subcommittees

The American Institute of Architects in Pennsylvania strives for diversity in our professional organization. The way to achieve diversity is if all members get involved. Please consider joining one of our committees. AIA Pennsylvania has a robust committee structure and we are always looking for members to lend their subject matter expertise to these conversations. The time commitment is minimal but the impact is significant. Subcommittees generally meet bi-monthly via conference call. Members are asked to provide comments on pending legislation and assist with drafting position papers.

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* 31. We are only as strong as our membership. We need specific expertise on issues. Would you be interested in joining any of the following Committees, Subcommittees or Task Forces to help our efforts?

  I'm Interested
Licensure Committee- Reviews Licensure complaints and activity of the board. 
Education/School Construction Subcommittee- Reviews PlanCon revisions and issues related to the K-12 construction industry. 
Subcommittee on the Environment- Reviews legislative and policy issues related to sustainability and a greener environment.
DGS & Procurement Workgroup- Meets with DGS quarterly and reviews Procurement Code revisions and amendments. 
Practice Encroachment Taskforce- Monitors the activity of ESCOS, contractors, and interior design groups seeking regulation and any other groups encroaching on the practice of architecture.
Housing Subcommittee- Reviews legislative and policy issues related to single and multi-family housing, affordable housing, funding, equitable communities, and zoning.
Legal Reform Subcommittee- Reviews liability issues related to architects including the Statute of Repose & Mechanic's Lien.
Public-Private Partnership Subcommittee- Reviews P3 practices in other areas and how they can be implemented in Pennsylvania. 
Government Affairs Committee- Oversees the work of all subcommittees and makes final recommendations to the Board on Government Affairs positions and strategy. 

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* 32. AIA Pennsylvania wants to get a sense of the membership's "Citizen Architects" serving in elected, appointed, and official roles. Please let us know if you are currently serving your communities/the profession in any of the following capacities.

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* 33. Please provide position description(s) for each "Citizen Architect" category selected above.

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* 34. Do you have any other comments, questions, or concerns?

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