Pub. 4 2016 Directory

8 THE MONTANA ARCHITECT | 2016 | www.aia-mt.org AIA and the Montana Legislature DARRYL L. JAMES D iscussions about politics are not often heard amongst design professionals. Your passions – as they should be – tend to be more focused on sound but creative design, physical and aesthetic durability, sustainable development and construction techniques, and assisting in the development of attractive and livable communities. But behind this passion lies your practical side – the desire to enhance the health and safety of the built environment, the need to protect the integrity of your industry through the establishment and adherence to sensible design standards and licensure requirements. And because of this practical need for standards and rules, we have a formal regulatory structure . . . and politics. Agendas and Alliances for 2017 Over the past few legislative cycles, AIA has played an active role in lobbying various bills addressing professional licensure, building standards, and public infrastructure finance and development. We do not foresee any significant legislation that would adversely affect the industry, but we do hope that it is an eventful session for at least one major issue – Infrastructure Investment. AIA is a voting member of the Montana Infrastructure Coalition, which was formed for the sole purpose of ensuring passage of substantive infrastructure investment measures in the 2017 session, and beyond. The Coalition recognizes that infrastructure and the economy are inextricably intertwined, and that we cannot maintain safe and healthy communities without a solid foundation of basic infrastructure that provides clean drinking water, wastewater systems, a safe and efficient transportation system, and the ability for every community to leverage state and local dollars to make that next tier of investment to enhance their community. Montanans have not seen a significant infrastructure package come out of Helena since before 2011. Nearly every candidate in the state talked about infrastructure investment on the campaign trail, so we’re certain to see numerous proposals to invest in infrastructure in some fashion. The Coalition aims to drive a sustainable solution that changes the way Montana finances infrastructure on an ongoing basis, thus avoiding intense political battles every two years. As the Coalition focuses on sustainable financing for basic infrastruc- ture this session, there will also be measures brought forward that will include specific building projects. The Coalition and AIA will support any reasonable companion bill(s), and will support the no- tion that investment in aging buildings or new buildings that promise further economic development are worthy of consideration.