http://www.poolepl.com/blog/View Poole Professional's Website Blogen-uspostmaster@www.poolepl.comInsurance Website Builder - www.insurancewebsitebuilder.comurn:uuid:97a2f7b2-87de-4a8b-a30c-3c2179b74c96urn:uuid:cb183fe4-1c6b-4196-8b7a-9fd3a7b4ba1dRisk Management and BIM&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp; Attend this seminar to&nbsp;stay abreast of the&nbsp;Top Ten Strategies to reduce your design firm's&nbsp;exposure to professional liability claims, and specifically the risks inherent with new design delive...Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:25:21 -0600<a href="http://http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=m7awelhab&amp;oeidk=a07e5gdf4ml2a8fa39c">Risk Management and BIM</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;&nbsp; Attend this seminar to&nbsp;stay abreast of the&nbsp;Top Ten Strategies to reduce your design firm's&nbsp;exposure to professional liability claims, and specifically the risks inherent with new design delivery methodologies like Building Information Modeling. &nbsp;We will share with you one of the first documented BIM claims cases. XL Design Professional clients will earn their 10% educational credit if more than 50% of&nbsp;their professional staff attend.&nbsp; All attendees will earn 2 AIA/CES/LUs (Pending).urn:uuid:08e17bb5-d464-4502-9d8b-96c68fab8031Check it out! http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/09/22/frank-gehry Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:50:22 -0500<span style="background-color: #baeffd;">Check it out!<br /> <br /> <a href="http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/09/22/frank-gehry">http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/09/22/frank-gehry</a><br /> </span>urn:uuid:40d80d73-02c2-4a0e-b071-83ca44df07c5Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to help developing communities worldwide improve the quality of their life.&nbsp; You probably know of their work.&nbsp; Contract Solutions Group is presenting a 4-part...Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:31:14 -0500<p><span style="font-family: comic sans ms; color: #008000; font-size: 18px;">Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to help developing communities worldwide improve the quality of their life.&nbsp; You probably know of their work.&nbsp; </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: comic sans ms; color: #008000; font-size: 18px;">Contract Solutions Group is presenting a 4-part webinar series on Project Leadership, beginning July 14^th, with proceeds going to support the work of EWB.&nbsp; ADI endorses their efforts, and we encourage you to let your clients know about the upcoming series.&nbsp; The following link describes the programs and provides registration information and forms.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></p> <p><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 16pt;"><a href="http://www.contractsolutionsgroup.com/ewb_leadership_series.pdf" title="blocked::http://www.contractsolutionsgroup.com/ewb_leadership_series.pdf"><span style="font-size: 18px;">www.contractsolutionsgroup.com/ewb_leadership_series.pdf</span></a></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: comic sans ms; color: #008000; font-size: 18px;">*&nbsp; These programs will qualify for ADI rate credits at renewal.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: comic sans ms; color: #008000; font-size: 18px;">*&nbsp; They also qualify for Engineering CE credit and AIA self-reporting credit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: comic sans ms; color: #008000; font-size: 18px;">*&nbsp; Most important &ndash; participation will help a most worthwhile organization do its work.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: comic sans ms; color: #0000ff; font-size: 18px;">So &ndash; please spread the word.&nbsp; And remember, the first webinar is July 14^th.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b></b></p> <p><b></b></p>urn:uuid:1e0c83e1-fdc6-4fa2-9701-7f7905d800b8http://www.poolepl.com/category.aspx?id=MISC18 July 14 and July 28 Construction Contract AdministrationThu, 07 Jul 2011 12:26:25 -0500<a href="http://www.poolepl.com/category.aspx?id=MISC18">http://www.poolepl.com/category.aspx?id=MISC18</a><br /> <br /> July 14 and July 28 Construction Contract Administrationurn:uuid:9d31b06f-46b2-4e8a-91ed-94d0902720d9Those firms embarking on BIM may find this recent article of interest: http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2011/05/110519-BIM-Lawsuit-1.asp Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:01:54 -0500<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal calibri; color: #3300fb;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Those firms embarking on BIM may find this recent article of interest:<br /> </span><br /> <a href="http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2011/05/110519-BIM-Lawsuit-1.asp">http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2011/05/110519-BIM-Lawsuit-1.asp</a></p> <div><br /> </div>urn:uuid:ffb93505-9ecf-44fa-9450-c01a3912a6d6May 5 and May 26:&nbsp; 2010 A year in review&nbsp;for &nbsp;Design Professional Litigation Zurich Educational WebinarsWed, 20 Apr 2011 15:40:05 -0500May 5 and May 26:&nbsp; 2010 A year in review&nbsp;for &nbsp;Design Professional Litigation<a href="http://www.poolepl.com/category.aspx?id=MISC18"><br /> <br /> Zurich Educational Webinars</a>urn:uuid:2c54489f-9d22-4867-a44d-13615093f9bfOn 4-4-11, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division of Insurance issued the following bulletin regarding the intent of the Certificate of Insurance and discouraged &nbsp;amending Certificates to do anything other than providing merely a synopsis o...Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:41:30 -0500On 4-4-11, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division of Insurance issued the following bulletin regarding the intent of the Certificate of Insurance and discouraged &nbsp;amending Certificates to do anything other than providing merely a synopsis or summary of the policy.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=ocamodulechunk&amp;L=4&amp;L0=Home&amp;L1=Government&amp;L2=Our+Agencies+and+Divisions&amp;L3=Division+of+Insurance&amp;sid=Eoca&amp;b=terminalcontent&amp;f=doi_Bulletins_bulletins_11_07&amp;csid=Eoca">Certificates of Insurance</a><br /> <br />urn:uuid:a94577de-64ae-4f05-ad35-6dfa28eb7c42<img src='http://www.poolepl.com/img/~www.poolepl.com/My%20Newsletters/Constr.Phase.Flyer.jpg' align='left' />Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:50:04 -0500<img width="1017" height="1327" alt="" style="width: 633px; height: 874px;" src="/img/~www.poolepl.com/My%20Newsletters/Constr.Phase.Flyer.jpg" />urn:uuid:f4cde216-4784-4a7b-8142-2ed3172f8525Poole Professional is&nbsp;a proud&nbsp;sponsor of this annual event to benefit Boston Architectural College.&nbsp;Subscribe to our blog to be in the running to win tickets into the show! April 7-10, 2011 The Cyclorama At The Boston Center for The Ar...Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:28:02 -0600<span style="font-size: 18px;">Poole Professional is&nbsp;a proud&nbsp;sponsor of this annual event to benefit Boston Architectural College.&nbsp;Subscribe to our blog to be in the running to win tickets into the show!</span> <p><b><span style="font-size: 18px;">April 7-10, 2011</span></b></p> <p><b>The Cyclorama</b></p> <p><span style="font-size: 18px;">At The Boston Center for The Arts<br /> 539 Tremont Street, in the South End</span></p> <p><b><i>50 Select Exhibitors from the U.S. &amp; Europe</i></b></p> <p><b>offering fine art, photography, jewelry, furniture, glass, ceramics,<br /> sculpture, fine prints, drawings, and more&nbsp;at the only show and sale<br /> of its kind&nbsp;<b>in New Englan</b><b>d.</b></b></p> <p><b>&bull;&nbsp;</b><b>Fine Art &bull; Photography &bull; Fine Prints &bull; Art Nouveau <br /> &bull; Art Deco&nbsp;&bull; Mid-Century &bull; Contemporary<br /> <br /> </b></p> <p><b><i>Gala Preview<br /> Thursday, April 7th 5:30 &ndash; 9:00 pm</i></b><b><i> <p>To Benefit<br /> Boston Architectural College&nbsp;</p> <p>Enjoy delicious food, fine wine, festive music, and of course, the first choice of&nbsp;a dazzling array of art and design. Complimentary catalog and re-admission throughout the weekend. Valet parking available. &nbsp;All proceeds benefit the BAC, New England&rsquo;s&nbsp;largest independent, accredited college of spatial design. &nbsp;Tickets $100 and $250.&nbsp;<b><i></i></b></p> <b><i> <p style="display: inline !important;"><b><i></i></b></p> <b><i> <p style="display: inline !important;">Call 617.585.0116, or online at the-bac.edu. &nbsp; For more information visit our Gala Preview page <a href="http://ad2021.com/gala_preview_thursday_april.html">here</a>.</p> </i></b></i></b></i></b></p> <br /> <br /> <strong>Additional information&nbsp; can be found&nbsp;on&nbsp; the following links:<br /> </strong> <p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/AD-2021-Art-Design-of-the-20th-21st-Centuries/267031675828?ref=ts" title="blocked::http://www.facebook.com/pages/AD-2021-Art-Design-of-the-20th-21st-Centuries/267031675828?ref=ts"><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>http://www.facebook.com/pages/AD-2021-Art-Design-of-the-20th-21st-Centuries/267031675828?ref=ts</strong></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://ad2021.com/" title="blocked::http://ad2021.com/"><span style="color: #800080;"><strong>http://ad2021.com/</strong></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://ad2021.com/exhibitors.html" title="blocked::http://ad2021.com/exhibitors.html"><strong>http://ad2021.com/exhibitors.html</strong></a></p>urn:uuid:760ed15f-5fcd-4a65-ba4a-90bc85ab279aThe Capital District Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE) is presenting a 1-hour seminar &ldquo;Hot Weather Concreting&rdquo;, based on ACI 305.&nbsp; The seminar will be held on March 31st at 8:00 AM at the NYSSPE...Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:03:32 -0600The Capital District Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE) is presenting a 1-hour seminar &ldquo;Hot Weather Concreting&rdquo;, based on ACI 305.&nbsp; The seminar will be held on March 31^st at 8:00 AM at the NYSSPE office at 6 Airline Drive in Albany; sign-in will begin at 7:30am.&nbsp; The seminar will qualify for 1.0 PDH credits.&nbsp; This is Part 1 of a 2 part series.&nbsp; Part 2 will be on Cold Weather Concrete, ACI 306, and be presented in the&nbsp;&nbsp;fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;For registration, please contact Steve Moore (<a href="mailto:smoore@atlantictesting.com" title="blocked::mailto:smoore@atlantictesting.com">smoore@atlantictesting.com</a>), or Sarah Jensen (<a href="mailto:sjensen@atlantictesting.com" title="blocked::mailto:sjensen@atlantictesting.com">sjensen@atlantictesting.com</a>), or by calling 518-383-9144.urn:uuid:521dc94e-cce0-4092-99e2-920960dab088XL Reports to its clients and Brokers the following on Tuesday February 8, 2011: I wanted to let you know that today XL Group plc announced results for the fourth quarter and full year 2010. Our continued strong performance shows the significant pro...Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:17:13 -0600XL Reports to its clients and Brokers the following on Tuesday February 8, 2011:<br /> <br /> I wanted to let you know that today XL Group plc announced results for the fourth quarter and full year 2010. Our continued strong performance shows the significant progress we have made in multiple elements that are key to the company's long-term success and to driving value for our customers and investors. While our full results are available on the investor relations segment of our website (www.xlgroup.com), highlights include: <br /> <br /> <ul> <li>A 13.8% increase in P&amp;C gross premiums written for the fourth quarter of 2010, and 2.5% increase for the year, and a P&amp;C operations combined ratio of 91.4% for the fourth quarter and 94.8% for the full year. </li> <li>Operating net income of $242.4 million, or $0.74 per share, for the fourth quarter and $809.7 million, or $2.40 for the full year, and net income attributable to ordinary shareholders of $188.1 million, or $0.57 per share, for the quarter and $585.5 million, or $1.73 per share, for the full year. </li> <li>Fully diluted book value per ordinary share of $29.78 at December 31, 2010, an increase of 0.7% in the quarter and 21.1% from December 31, 2009. </li> </ul> Our capital position also remains very strong. As you may know, S&amp;P recently revised its outlook on XL to 'Stable' and referred specifically to our strong franchise, strong operating performance and extremely strong quantitative capital position. In addition, S&amp;P ranked XL's enterprise risk management in the top quintile of companies they rate. <br /> <br /> Our success in 2010, despite challenging market conditions, is the result of our keen focus on five core elements of our business: <br /> <br /> <ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"> <li><strong><b>Underwriting Excellence.</b></strong>&nbsp; We delivered healthy combined ratios in 2010, and continued to provide innovative products to meet the unique needs of our customers. </li> <li><strong><b>Strategic Growth.</b></strong>&nbsp; We have made significant progress on strategic growth initiatives in recent months, including receiving our license to offer insurance in Chinese markets and adding experienced teams in several lines, including Construction and Surety.&nbsp; In the fourth quarter, we also named Greg Hendrick, a proven underwriter and leader at XL, as head of our newly-created Office of Strategic Growth. </li> <li><strong><b>Disciplined Enterprise Risk Management.&nbsp;</b></strong> Natural catastrophe losses were well within our expectations in 2010, including losses from floods in Australia, Central Europe and China, the New Zealand earthquake and a number of small to mid-sized cat events. </li> <li><strong><b>Sound Investment Portfolio Management.</b></strong>&nbsp; We benefitted from the actions we took in 2009 to de-risk our investment portfolio and are delivering on a patient strategy of optimizing the portfolio with careful attention to the economics of the securities that comprise it. </li> <li><strong><b>Operating and Capital Efficiency.</b></strong>&nbsp; Given the soft market conditions, the efficiency initiatives that XL took last year and the share buyback programs were important factors in XL's continued ability to deliver value to investors and customers. 2010 operating expenses were lower year-over-year on both a ratio and absolute dollar basis. Also, given the diligence required in managing investment capital, XL remains committed to returning excess capital to investors.&nbsp; However, XL will not shy away from making an investment if it believes it is the prudent way to prepare for new opportunities. </li> </ol> We will continue to focus on each of these five core elements in 2011, and are confident that our success in each of these elements will enable us to continue to deliver outstanding value. <br /> <br /> As always, we appreciate the opportunity to serve you, and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future. <br /> <br /> Best, <br /> <br /> Mike McGavick <br /> CEO, XL Group plc <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />urn:uuid:e1659512-8881-4f3a-b8e9-9178cdd2fc80Webinar!&nbsp;February 11, &nbsp;2011&nbsp; - Insurance Basics - Presented by Tom Mullard, President, Poole Professional - New York, Inc. ACEC New York is offering young design profesionals the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of the business...Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:52:17 -0600Webinar!&nbsp;February 11, &nbsp;2011&nbsp; - Insurance Basics - Presented by Tom Mullard, President, Poole Professional - New York, Inc.<br /> <br /> ACEC New York is offering young design profesionals the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of the business. Members and non members can participate in these convenient one hour sessions. Click on the link below to register for the&nbsp;February &nbsp;program and get preliminary information on future course offerings! <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.acecny.org/PDF/CDC-February-RegForm.pdf">Registration Form</a><br /> <br />urn:uuid:31bb801f-c527-477d-88db-cfbfd810b3a8 Legal Aspects of Certifications Requested by Local Building Officials ACEC/MA Breakfast Program:&nbsp;&nbsp; Wednesday, January 12, 2011&nbsp;at the Westin Waltham, 7:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast, 8:00 -10:00 AM Program Speakers:&n...Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:08:32 -0600<p style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><strong><br /> Legal Aspects of Certifications Requested by Local Building Officials </strong><b><br /> <strong><br /> ACEC/MA Breakfast Program:&nbsp;&nbsp; Wednesday, January 12, 2011&nbsp;at the Westin Waltham, 7:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast, 8:00 -10:00 AM Program</strong></b></p> <p><b>Speakers:</b>&nbsp; <b>Thomas M. Riley</b>, Code Development Manager, State Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS), <b>Joel P. Goodmonson</b>, PE, Vice Chair,&nbsp; Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors&nbsp; and Executive Vice President, Architectural Engineers, <b>Brian Newberry</b>, Partner, Donovan Hatem, LLP, <b>Dave LeBlanc</b>, Vice President and Operations Manager, Rolf Jensen &amp; Associates, Inc.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /> <br /> &nbsp;<b>Learn: </b></p> <p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Highlights of major changes in Building Code 7th edition compared to the 8th edition</p> <p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What Shouldn&rsquo;t You Certify?&nbsp; The Board of Registration&rsquo;s position on how the changes in the 8th Edition of the Building Code may be applied by local building inspectors and how this may affect you. </p> <p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Legal aspects of Building Code changes, i.e. where do the jurisdictions of various engineering disciplines begin, end and overlap </p> <p>&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Potential Effect of Building Code changes on Professional Engineering Practices</p> <p><b>Learn More:&nbsp; </b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><i><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.engineers.org/index.cfm?pk=custom&amp;ac=viewEventDetails&amp;eventId=AC_BUILDINGCODE_1-12" title="http://www.engineers.org/index.cfm?pk=custom&amp;ac=viewEventDetails&amp;eventId=AC_BUILDINGCODE_1-12">http://www.engineers.org/index.cfm?pk=custom&amp;ac=viewEventDetails&amp;eventId=AC_BUILDINGCODE_1-12</a></span></i></b></p>urn:uuid:1860df75-2232-48ac-a567-e1f5ab7e3f3eACEC/MA Legislative Victory On January 5, 2011, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law S2512, which is now Chapter 424 of the Acts of 2010.&nbsp;&nbsp; This was a maj...Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:04:39 -0600<span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong>ACEC/MA Legislative Victory</strong></span> <table width="100%" style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: #e5e5e5 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 3.75pt; padding-left: 3.75pt; padding-right: 3.75pt; white-space: nowrap; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 3.75pt;"><strong></strong></td> <td style="border-bottom: #e9e9e9 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 3.75pt; padding-left: 3.75pt; padding-right: 3.75pt; background: white; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 3.75pt;"><strong></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-bottom: 3.75pt; padding-left: 3.75pt; padding-right: 3.75pt; padding-top: 3.75pt;" colspan="2"> <p><strong>On January 5, 2011, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law S2512, which is now Chapter 424 of the Acts of 2010.&nbsp;&nbsp; This was a major legislative priority for ACEC/MA and other design professional organizations&nbsp;during the most recent legislative session.&nbsp; It was one of their priorities at both the 2009 and 2010 Design Professionals Day at the State House.&nbsp; Stay tuned for the ACEC/MA Member Briefing on this issue.</strong></p> <p><b>Learn More:</b><b>&nbsp; </b><b><i><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://bit.ly/hbiok2" title="http://bit.ly/hbiok2">http://bit.ly/hbiok2</a></span></i></b></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>urn:uuid:a9b4a7a3-f21a-4c20-b085-7772b8b8cd57Webinar!&nbsp; January 10, 2011 ACEC New York is offering young design profesionals the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of the business.&nbsp; Members and non members can participate in these convenient one hour sessions. Click on the link b...Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:48:07 -0600Webinar!&nbsp; January 10, 2011<br /> <br /> ACEC New York is offering young design profesionals the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of the business.&nbsp; Members and non members can participate in these convenient one hour sessions. Click on the link below to register for the January program and get preliminary information on future course offerings!<a href="http://www.poolepl.com/img/~www.poolepl.com/ACEC%20CDC%20January2011.pdf"><br /> <br /> ACEC CDC January2011.pdf</a>urn:uuid:5c9db949-21e0-40cc-9763-1b1a113dbdf3Arm yourself with information you need to make the best decisions for your firm&rsquo;s future. The past few years have been some of the toughest on record. Now that the smoke is finally beginning to clear, it&rsquo;s essential to take a close look ...Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:30:11 -0600<p>Arm yourself with information you need to make the best decisions for your firm&rsquo;s future. </p> <p>The past few years have been some of the toughest on record. Now that the smoke is finally beginning to clear, it&rsquo;s essential to take a close look at where you stand in comparison to the rest of the industry. </p> <p>Regardless of firm size or type, benchmarking should be an essential part of any firm&rsquo;s strategic plan. Your financial viability in 2011 may very well depend on your ability to manage your benefits expenses, pricing strategies, and management salary structure. </p> <p>Through a special agreement with PSMJ Benchmark Surveys, the Design Professional group of XL Insurance can now offer our customers the opportunity to participate in PSMJ&rsquo;s 2011 Bonus &amp; Benefits Survey. <b>The deadline has been extended for XL policyholders until January 14^th. </b><b></b></p> <p><b>To participate in the</b> <b><i>2011</i></b> <b><i>Bonus &amp; Benefits Survey</i></b>, <a href="http://www.psmj.com/documents/surveys/2011Bonusv1.xls" title="blocked::http://www.psmj.com/documents/surveys/2011Bonusv1.xls">click here</a> <b>to</b>: </p> <p class="pa2" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; download the questionnaire,</p> <p class="pa2" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; then save it to your hard drive, and</p> <p class="pa2" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; follow the pop-up instructions in the Questionnaire, then </p> <p class="pa2" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; submit your data in the Final Instructions tab. </p> <p class="pa2" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Please be sure to mention that you are an XL policyholder when you submit your data</b></p>urn:uuid:0b308f35-c7b4-4e6a-a416-a8dd90c6701aContact Your Representative&nbsp;Today&nbsp;to Oppose Change to House Rules Incoming House Republican leaders recently unveiled new rules governing floor procedure that could jeopardize the special budgetary protections provided for the Highway Trust...Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:05:15 -0600<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; font-family: 'times new roman';"><strong>Contact Your Representative&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Today</span>&nbsp;to Oppose Change to House Rules</strong></p> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">Incoming House Republican leaders recently unveiled new rules governing floor procedure that could jeopardize the special budgetary protections provided for the Highway Trust Fund.&nbsp; The express goal is to increase transparency and facilitate spending cuts, including the elimination of guaranteed funding levels that state DOTs count on to plan and implement multi-year transportation improvement programs.</p> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">As enacted in TEA-21 in 1998 and reinforced under SAFETEA-LU, any member of the House can raise a point of order to block legislation that would reduce federal highway investment from the levels set in a multi-year surface transportation authorization bill.&nbsp; The rule was designed to ensure the integrity of the Highway Trust Fund by making sure all highway user fees collected by the federal government are invested in surface transportation improvements.&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">A press release from House Rules Committee Republicans explains the intent of the proposed change: &ldquo;Highway funding, with some exceptions, will now be treated as other general spending and therefore be subject to any member attempt to reduce the spending.&rdquo;</p> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"><strong>House Republicans will vote on this rules package, and any amendments to it, on Tuesday, January 4, 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>Democrats will be given an opportunity to offer an alternative on the House Floor on January 5, but it will likely fail on a party-line vote.&nbsp; This is an entirely House Republican matter.</p> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">The only way this proposal will be modified is if House Republicans hear from you, their constituents, over the next week about the damage this change would do to state transportation programs and the engineering and construction industry.</p> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';"><strong>ACEC members are urged to contact Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives from your home state and urge them to remove the transportation funding provision (Subsection (2)(d)(4) on pages 10-11) from the House Rules package.&nbsp; Call the&nbsp;U.S.&nbsp;Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and ask to be directed to your Representative.</strong></p> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">Key Points:</p> <ul style="margin-bottom: 0in; list-style-type: disc;"> <li style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">The proposed House Rules change to highway investment should be dropped as it would break the pledge with motorists by allowing federal user fee revenues to be withheld instead of invested in transportation improvements.</li> </ul> <ul style="margin-bottom: 0in; list-style-type: disc;"> <li style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">The plan would inject further uncertainty into an already destabilized&nbsp;U.S.&nbsp;transportation construction marketplace where unemployment is in excess of 18 percent&mdash;twice the national average.</li> </ul> <ul style="margin-bottom: 0in; list-style-type: disc;"> <li style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">The 112th Congress should focus on enacting a multi-year reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program that creates jobs and boosts the economy, not on procedural maneuvers that make it easier to cut highway investment.</li> </ul> <p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman';">If you have questions, please contact Matt Reiffer, ACEC Director of Transportation Programs, (202) 682-4308 or<a href="mailto:mreiffer@acec.org" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">mreiffer@acec.org</a>.</p>urn:uuid:0c2a9ccd-5c42-4fab-ada4-37a4d7dd5457Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:07:00 -0600<iframe width="572" height="490" src="http://readme.readmedia.com/State-Bars-Committee-on-Professional-Ethics-Issues-Opinion-on-Use-of-Public-Information-from-Social-Websites/1730152/embed" border="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>urn:uuid:26f21183-8953-449b-b6ec-44af0cb5eff9 Happy Holidays! Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:24:45 -0600<br /> <br /> <span style="color: #ff0000; font-size: 48px;">Happy Holidays!<br /> </span>