I had the opportunity to attend this year’s ASCE annual Legislative Fly-in to Washington DC during the first week of March. Every year, the ASCE Legislative Fly-In brings over 200 ASCE members together to share their everyday engineering experiences with legislators. This year was the first hybrid fly-in, where delegates within our profession represent our home states to advocate infrastructure issues in both DC and remotely. I’d like to thank the Houston Branch for covering my travel and attendance fees.

The Legislative Fly-In kicked off with President Dennis D. Truax and Madam Undersecretary for Science and Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Geraldine Richmond. ASCE awarded honorary fellowships to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Representative John Katko (R-NY), and Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) for their efforts to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Being named an Honorary Fellow is the highest honor ASCE bestows on its non-members.

Texas Section attendees met with the offices of Senators Cruz and Cornyn and man US Representatives.  Meetings stressed ASCE’s opposition to a gas tax holiday implementation of the IIJA, the passage of a 2022 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), and support for additional federal investment and oversight of research and development in technology and innovation.

I was excited to meet with many great industry colleagues from around the country who are passionate about helping elected officials understand the implications of the current infrastructure investment deficiency gap. Amplifying ASCE’s voice on public policy issues is a great opportunity to give back, a rewarding experience, and can leverage advancing our profession in a way that I could never have imagined. These conversations help keep the House and the Senate on the task of improving US infrastructure.

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