Members and staff of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) from across Pennsylvania were among over 400 architects and AIA leaders who met with Members of Congress and their staff on February 28 for AIA Hill Day, part of the AIA Leadership Summit 2024.

The day gave the membership the platform to advocate for pressing legislation that will significantly impact the architecture profession and community needs including:

• H.R. 964/S. 366 ensuring local community input in the design of federal buildings.
• H.R. 7024 extending tax relief provisions that encourage firm’s investment in research and development, incentivize private-sector affordable housing, and ensure tax parity between large and small businesses.  
• Eliminating arbitrary fee limitations on A/E Federal Contracts to address growing scope and complexity of federal projects.

These initiatives underscore AIA’s commitment to fostering the health and growth of our 19,000 architectural firms, encourage innovation in building designs that are resilient to our changing climate, addressing inconsistencies in federal contracting laws and regulations, acknowledging the evolving complexity of 21st-century architectural projects, while respecting the rich architectural diversity across the nation while meeting local and regional needs.

“Architects are responsible for protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public through design excellence, environmental stewardship and securing the future of our communities,” said AIA 2024 President Kimberly Dowdell. “It is critical for our voices to be heard on Capitol Hill. We must advocate for legislation that acknowledges and reinforces the pivotal role of the architecture profession in society.”

AIA members and staff from across Pennsylvania met with the offices of the following Members of Congress representing Pennsylvania: Senator Bob Casey, Senator John Fetterman, Representative Brendan Boyle, Representative Chris Deluzio, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, Representative Summer Lee, Representative Scott Perry, and Representative Lloyd Smucker.

The AIA member and staff delegation from Pennsylvania included:

• Michael Metzger, AIA | AIA Pennsylvania President
• Jamie Ober, AIA | AIA Pennsylvania President-Elect
• Mel Ngami, AIA | AIA Pennsylvania Board Member, Pennsylvania’s Young Architects Representative (YAR)
• Joseph Phillips, AIA | AIA Bucks County President
• Thomas Dimick, Assoc. AIA | AIA Bucks County Board Member
• Brett Hallacher, AIA | AIA Central Pennsylvania President
• Joshua A Silbaugh, AIA | AIA Central Pennsylvania and AIA Pennsylvania Board Member, Pennsylvania’s Architect Licensing Advisor (ALA)
• Ted Gallagher, AIA | AIA Central Pennsylvania Member
• Brian Smiley, AIA | AIA Philadelphia President and AIA Pennsylvania COTE Chair
• Sean Sheffler, AIA | AIA Pittsburgh President
• Bob Shelton, AIA | AIA Pittsburgh First Vice President
• Quentin Kittle, AIA | AIA Pennsylvania and AIA Pittsburgh Board Member
• Stephen Swarney – AIA Pennsylvania Executive Director
• Amal Mahrouki – AIA Pennsylvania Director of Legislative Affairs
• Michelle Fanzo – AIA Pittsburgh Executive Director