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Government Relations
Local Committee
The Civil Engineering Profession is heavily influenced by the decisions of our elected officials and appointed public policy makers. All ASCE members are encouraged to get informed about the issues and decisions being made and contact their representatives to ensure their voice is heard. The Pittsburgh Section Government Relations Committee helps to keep our members updated about current legislation which may impact our profession. To get involved with the Government Relations Committee contact Committee Chair Greg Scott at scottgf@cdmsmith.com
Latest Updates - August 7, 2025
On May 12, 2025, representatives of the four Pennsylvania Sections participated in a Legislative Day in Harrisburg to advocate for multiple issues important to Civil engineering. Subsequently, several of the bills being advocated for have seen significant progress. A summary of recent legislative developments follows:
- House Bill (HB) 1608 – Design Build Best Value Procurement
- An Act amending Title 74 (Transportation) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in transportation infrastructure, providing for design build best value.
- HB 1608 passed a vote on being committed by the PA House Committee on Transportation on a voted of 26 yea and 0 ney on July 8, 2025.
Legislative Process Note
In Pennsylvania's legislative process, when a bill is voted on as committed, it means the originating chamber (House or Senate) is agreeing to accept the amendments made to the bill by the other chamber. This vote indicates that the originating chamber is satisfied with the changes and is ready to move the bill forward, often to the next stage of consideration
HB 1608 can be reviewed here: https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1608
HB 1788
This is an omnibus transportation bill that provides for the Public Transportation Trust Fund, public transportation operations, and funding for roads and bridges.
This bill amends Section 1513 (related to operating program) of Title 74 (Transportation) to require that PennDOT establish additional minimum system performance criteria for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to improve fare evasion, public-private transportation partnerships (P3s), and bus routes. PennDOT must promulgate regulations, including temporary regulations, to establish the minimum system performance criteria based upon comparison of the award recipient to SEPTA's and PRT's past performance and to SEPTA's and PRT's peers that an award recipient must satisfy.
Failure of SEPTA and PRT to satisfy the established minimum system performance will result in the process established in Section 1513(g) which may result in loss of operating funding.
HB 1788 passed a vote on being committed by the PA House Committee on Transportation on a voted of 16 yea and 10 ney on August 6, 2025.
HB 1788 can be reviewed here: https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1788
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National Key Contact Program
ASCE National maintains a Key Contact program for members to stay up to date on both state and national policy issues. ASCE Key Contacts also influence the policy process at the state and federal levels by developing relationships with elected officials. We encourage all members to sign up on the key contacts website.ASCE Report Card
The Government Relations committee is actively involved in promoting the findings of the 2014 Pennsylvania Infrastructure report card and will begin developing the 2018 in 2017. More information on the PA Report Card and opportunities to provide technical expertise and policy recommendation for future report cards can be found here.
