FEBRUARY 2008 GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

 

IN THIS ISSUE …

 

1.         FY 2009 Presidential Budget

2.         National Surveyor’s Week Resolution

3.         Meeting with Jack Dunnigan of National Ocean Service

4.         ACSM gets shut out of NGAC selection

5.         Fundraiser for Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA)

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FY 2009 Presidential Budget. There were several cuts to federal agency surveying and mapping programs in the recently released FY 09 Presidential budget. The one bright spot was increased funding for USGS surveying and mapping programs. Here are a few of the highlights of the budget. There were cuts to the National Ocean Service of $45 million. Most of the cuts were directly related to surveying and mapping programs; but those programs still saw a significant funding request, as discussed below. There were cuts to the FEMA Floodmap Modernization program as well. The FY 09 budget calls for $150 million for map modernization, a decrease of $50 million from the 2007 level and $73 million from the 2008 estimate. The Bureau of Land Management received an increase in its overall funding, but funding for surveying and mapping programs in the BLM remained at the same level as 2007 and 2008. The USGS received an increase in funding as well. The FY 09 budget allocates $76 million for geographic research, investigations and remote sensing. This is $4 million less than the 2007 amount and $1 million more than the 2008 estimate. Additionally, the FY 09 budget allocates $118 million for the Enterprise Information program. This is an increase of $6 million over the 2007 amount and an increase of $14 million over the 2008 estimate. The National Geospatial Program, which is focused on improving geospatial data access, integration and applications through implementation of the National Map and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, is part of the Enterprise Information program. Finally, the president once again made no funding request for the NDGPS. Last year, although the President made no request for funding, Congress appropriated $2 million for the program. ACSM will review the budget thoroughly and work with Congress to increase funding for the surveying and mapping programs in federal agencies.

 

National Surveyor’s Week Resolution. The National Surveyor’s Week Resolution, H. Con. Res. 223, is moving along through Congress. We currently have 16 co-sponsors of the resolution in the House. We need 50 co-sponsors to bring the resolution to the House floor for a vote.

Below, is the list of Representatives who are co-sponsors on the Resolution. Please look the list over and if your Representative is not on the list, ask him or her to co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 223, the National Surveyor’s Week Resolution. The contacts are: Ken Cummings from Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s office for the Democrats (202) 225-5341 and Collin Long from Congressman Charlie Dent’s office for the Republicans (202) 225-6411. With your help, we can get this resolution to the floor soon!

 

 H.CON.RES.223

Title: Honoring professional surveyors and recognizing their contributions to society.

Sponsor: Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] (introduced 10/2/2007)      Cosponsors (16)

Related Bills: S.CON.RES.57

Latest Major Action: 10/2/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

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 COSPONSORS(16), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 12/11/2007 Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] - 11/7/2007

Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] - 11/6/2007 Rep Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3] - 10/18/2007

Rep Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU] - 2/13/2008 Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 12/4/2007

Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - 2/13/2008 Rep Dent, Charles W. [PA-15] - 10/2/2007

Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [MO-8] - 11/7/2007 Rep Kildee, Dale E. [MI-5] - 10/9/2007

Rep LaHood, Ray [IL-18] - 12/6/2007 Rep Miller, Brad [NC-13] - 12/13/2007

Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 10/24/2007 Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] - 1/22/2008

Rep Rogers, Harold [KY-5] - 12/4/2007 Rep Young, Don [AK] - 12/5/2007

 

 

Meeting with Jack Dunnigan of National Ocean Service. Laurence Socci recently attended a meeting with Jack Dunnigan, Assistant Administrator for NOAA’s Ocean Service. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the President’s FY 09 budget for the National Ocean Service. Among other things, NOS surveys the coastline and seafloor. Mr. Dunnigan told those attending the meeting that there is no slack in the budget this year, which goes not only for the NOS budget but for the entire government-wide budget. He noted that the 2008 Omnibus bill cut NOS funding dramatically and most of the mapping and surveying of coasts programs were cut completely. According to FY 2009 budget documents, however, the President requested almost $95 million for the mapping and charting program in the NOS, which includes funding for the mapping and charting base, electronic navigation charts, shoreline mapping and funding to address the survey backlog. Additionally, the President requested $2.5 million for the National Height Modernization program.

 

ACSM gets shut out of NGAC selection.  The Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne named 28 individuals to serve on the National Geospatial Advisory Committee; unfortunately, nobody associated with ACSM was selected.  We made several nominations to the Committee, and although a couple of the people we nominated were selected, no ACSM member was selected. After the list was published, ACSM contacted John Mahoney of the USGS (who was listed in the Federal Register as the contact person) and asked why no land surveyors were selected. Mr. Mahoney told us that there are surveyors on the committee (which may be true, but they are not land surveyors) and that the selection process tried to be fair and as inclusive as possible.

It’s unknown what criteria was used in the selection process, since at least one of the people selected has no surveying or engineering training whatsoever. The list of individuals selected from the private sector is below:

 

THE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Members representing Private Sector, Nonprofits, and Academia:

Sean Ahearn, Hunter College, City University of New York;

Allen Carroll, National Geographic Society;

David Cowen, University of South Carolina;

Jack Dangermond, Environmental Systems Research Institute;

Kass Green, The Alta Vista Company;

David Maune, Dewberry;

Anne Hale Miglarese, Fugro EarthData, Inc.;

Charles Mondello, Pictometry International;

Kim Nelson, Microsoft Corporation;

Matthew O’Connell, GeoEye;

John Palatiello; Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors;

G. Michael Ritchie, Photo Science;

David Schell, Open Geospatial Consortium; and

Christopher Tucker, IONIC Enterprise.

 

Fundraiser for Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) Laurence Socci recently attended a fundraiser for Congressman Charlie Dent (R-PA). Congressman Dent is one of the co-sponsors of the National Surveyor’s Week Resolution in the House of Representatives. This was a great opportunity to personally thank Congressman Dent for helping us with the resolution and to give him an update on the progress. Also attending the fundraiser was Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), who also heard about the surveyor’s week resolution and was asked to help us with it.