On Tuesday, April 25th, AIA Pennsylvania Board Members and Government Affairs Leadership gathered at the State Capitol to meet with legislators and their staff for Architects Action Day.
Architects Action Day is an annual opportunity for the chapter leadership, on behalf of the membership, to remind lawmakers and their staff what architects do, offer AIA Pennsylvania as a resource, and inform them of a few key issues, as curated by our Government Affairs staff and leadership.
The three teams of chapter leadership, split up by region from across the state, focused on advocating for three issues, with the potential to move in the legislature, that directly impact your practice and the communities you serve. School construction funding and high-performance building rounded out the five issues on the docket.
1 | Statute of Repose
Senate Bill 336, currently in the Senate Judiciary Committee, would reduce the Statue of Repose in Pennsylvania from 12 to six years to align with nationwide legislative and industry standards for liability for architects and engineers.
2 | Accessibility Provisions and the Uniform Construction Code
Forthcoming legislation will provide a framework for the Accessibility Advisory Board (AAB) to review the 2021 accessibility code and future editions of the accessibility code. This legislation addresses the October 2022 Commonwealth Court ruling, which resulted in no mechanism in the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act for reviewing and adopting the 2021 accessibility codes or any updates. Meaning without legislative action, the already outdated 2018 accessibility standards will persist.
3 | Mandatory Continuing Education
We advocated for amending the Architects Licensure Law to require each licensee to provide certification of successful completion of a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education as a condition for renewal of the biennial license. Legislators were informed or reminded that Pennsylvania is one of only a few states that do not require architects to meet continuing education requirements covering the standards, techniques, and materials that ultimately safeguard and enhance the quality of life for Pennsylvanians.
Advocate in August
Architects Action Day is one of two annual grassroots events organized by AIA Pennsylvania. The second, coming up throughout August, is District Days. We will be inviting you to register with your availability to meet with your legislators at home in your shared legislative district this summer. Your participation is vital to our advocacy efforts and the position of your profession.
Pictured above (left to right):
Daryn Edwards, AIA
Co-chair, AIA Pennsylvania Housing and Community Development Taskforce
Principal, CICADA Architecture | Planning
Jeremiah Woodring, AIA
Vice Chair, AIA Pennsylvania Government Affairs Committee
Architect, HOK
Al Comly, AIA
State Disaster Assistance Coordinator
Project Manager, VITETTA
Rep. Christina Sappey
158th Legislative District, part of Chester County
Stephen Heinz, AIA
AIA Pennsylvania Board of Directors, AIA Bucks County Representative
Architect, Solarchitecture
Catherine (Katie) Broh, AIA
AIA Pennsylvania Board of Directors, AIA Philadelphia Representative; Co-chair, AIA Pennsylvania Committee on Design
Partner, MGA Partners