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Kansas Professional Engineer eNews

January 2007, Issue 1

In this Issue:

• President's Message

• 2007 Legislature Convenes this Week

• Executive Director's Message

• Chapter Engineers Week Activities

• NSPE Hires New Executive Director

• Future Cities Competition - Judges Needed

• NSPE Featured Products/Services

• NSPE Partners with NCEES to Promote 100 Years of Licensure

• Kansas Dam Safety Conference 2007

• PE Exam Reception

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

by Christopher Bohm, P.E.

I would like to wish all members of KSPE a Happy and prosperous New Year!  In what I consider to be a belated Christmas present, I am happy to report on some additional good news regarding the chapter charity challenge!  As reported last month, the Eastern Chapter has pledged their time to two charities, Faith Builders and TLC Children and Families, both Kansas City based groups.  Not to be outdone, the Wichita Chapter has now pledged time to Habitat for Humanity for a March or April home build down in Wichita.  And, during the Executive Board meeting last Friday, I learned that the Topeka Chapter is arranging a blood drive through the Red Cross, the time for which is to be announced.

This is great news for KSPE in our continual efforts to present our engineering faces to our communities.  What better way than to help in the very towns that support our work and professions – and to have a good time in the process.  I could not be more pleased with the efforts of the Eastern, Wichita, and Topeka Chapters in taking up this challenge – excellent work all of you.

In further good news, it appears that NSPE is making gains on the membership dues/association management database system.  Last month, the KSPE Board was very concerned with the slow rate of dues income provided by NSPE and directed Ron Gaches and GBBA to provide costs for invoicing our dues at the state level.  Although we remain guarded, it appears that we can expect a strong flow of dues income beginning this month.  As always, Ron, your KSPE Board and KSPE Executive Committee will continue to monitor this situation – but for now – it looks good.

Please make 2007 a good year by enjoying the company of family and friends and worrying a little less about the things that really don’t matter.  My wish for all is a peaceful and prosperous year full of new challenges!

For the Society,

Chris Bohm, P.E. 

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2007 Legislature Convenes This Week

Kansas legislators were welcomed to Topeka this week by unseasonably warm weather and a moderately growing economy.  The mild weather has held down the seasonal cost of energy while the good economy has resulted in higher than expected state general fund revenues.  Together with recent snows providing western wheat with needed moisture, there should be smiles aplenty on the faces of Kansas legislators.

The 2007 legislature will be different from the previous session in some important ways.  For starters, the House of Representatives has 24 new faces among its 125 members.  There was a typical number of retirements and a few more incumbents defeated than normal during the just finished election cycle.  Among the defeated incumbent representatives were some of the most conservative Republicans.  Second, although Republicans retained an overwhelming majority in the House, their numbers slipped by five to a 78-47 majority over the minority Democrats.  Finally, the majority Republicans elected new leadership, elevating House Appropriations Committee Chair Melvin Neufeld (Ingalls) to Speaker, Ray Merrick (Stillwell) moves up from Speaker Pro Tem to Majority Leader and Don Dahl (Hillsboro) joins the team as the new Speaker Pro Tem.  Minority Party leadership, led by Dennis McKinney (Greensberg) remains largely unchanged.

With the school finance issue resolved in large measure last year, legislators will move on to other pressing topics, several of which have been growing problems and other are opportunities.  Among the issues expected to draw the most interest are state energy policy, deferred maintenance at our Regents’ institutions, expanding health care coverage to the uninsured, addressing the unfunded liabilities of the state employee retirement system, gambling, property taxes, and government and campaign ethics.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

by Ron Gaches, J.D.

Are You Ready to Talk to Your Legislator

The strength of the KSPE government relations program is our ability to generate member contacts with their legislators on key issues.  Anyone can be an effective grassroots advocate.  All it takes is a little preparation and remembering some basic communication concepts.  Follow these simple guidelines and you can be an effective grassroots advocate for KSPE or on any issue.

Meeting with your legislator is best.  Face-to-face contacts are best.  Call your legislator and ask to meet with them.  Explain what you do and how your job and company/agency are important to your community.  Participate in your local KSPE Chapter of Chamber of Commerce’s visit to the Statehouse during the session.  If you don’t have the opportunity to participate in a group visit to Topeka, come on your own.  And if you can’t come to the Statehouse, visit with your legislators when they are home on weekends.

Phone calls are next best.  Legislators spend most of their time in meetings, but the good ones always schedule time to return constituent calls.  If you don’t receive a return call within 24 hours, call again.

Personal letters count.  Personal letters should be personal.  Communicate in your own words, relating your own experience, and avoid using form letters.  Legislators read their mail and many will provide thoughtful replies or give you a call.  Always ask them to contact you and let you know what their position is on your issue.  Most legislators ignore letters (or e-mails) from people they don’t know or from outside of their district, so start your letter with a sentence or two that reminds your legislator where you met or the interest that you have in common.

E-Mail.  More and more legislators are relying on e-mail communications to and from constituents.  The rules are much like letters.  Be personal.  Don’t send bulk e-mails or emails with large distribution lists.  As a general rule, the shorter your distribution list the more likely your email is to be read.

When communicating with legislators follow these rules:

1. Know your facts.  Make yourself knowledgeable so you are the expert.  Know the status of your issue, the bill number, whether it is in committee or ready for a vote on the floor. 

2. Be fair and reasonable.  Inform your legislator of opposing viewpoints that he or she may encounter, and any counter arguments you may have.

3. Don’t’ be argumentative.  Make your point but do not engage in quarrelsome arguments.

4. Don’t get personal.  Your legislator may not agree with you on this issue but you may be in agreement on the next issue.  Don’t burn any bridges with personal attacks.

5. Don’t overstate your case.  Not every bill is going to destroy the profession or wreck your business.  Exaggerated claims only weaken your argument.

6. Be passionate but not emotional.  Lead with your facts, not emotions.

7. Be timely.  Communicate with your legislator when there is still time for him or her to take action.  Contacts before committee actions or floor votes are most effective.

8. Follow up your request.  Ask your legislator to let you know how they voted and what happened to the bill.  Demanding accountability is a powerful tool.

9. Show your appreciation.  Thank your legislator when they support your position or do a good job.  Don’t take them for granted and they won’t take you for granted.

10. Give them your support. If your legislator has earned your support give it.  Attend a fundraiser, write a supportive letter to the paper, handout materials in your neighborhood.  If the incumbent is wrong all the time find a good challenger to support.

Internet Tools Bring the Statehouse to You

The Kansas Legislature’s website is an excellent tool for following the work of the Kansas Legislature.  You can down load electronic copies of bill (and print off hard copies), track committee schedules, learn about hearings and access the legislative research department and their many resources.  All of these services and much more are provided for free.  The site also contains links to many other valuable sites including a listing of all state agency websites, state employee phone directory and copies of bills passed by the previous legislature.  Clink and save the following link …

http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-legisportal/index.do

Not sure who your state representative and senator are?  Go to the link below to find out.

http://www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-legisportal/redistricting.do

2007 Bill Deadlines

Monday, January 22nd

Last day for member or members to request bill drafts

Thursday, February 1st

Last day for Committees, except exempt committees, to request bill drafts

Wednesday, February 7th

Last day for bill introductions by individual legislators

Friday, February 9th

Last day for Committee bill introductions

Saturday, February 24th

Last day to consider bills in house of origin, except bills from exempt committee

Saturday, March 24th

Last day to consider bills in the second house, except exempt bills

Saturday, April 7^th

End of regular session.

Wednesday, April 21^st

Anticipated start to the Veto Session

Weekly Legislative Reports Start January 22^nd

Note: The KSPE Weekly Legislative Report will begin distribution Monday, January 22^nd.  The Report is distributed via email only.  Please alert KSPE Executive Director Ron Gaches if you hear about an issue that should be tracked on the report that we have missed.  You can contact Ron during the session via email at rgaches@gbbaks.com or cell phone at 785-633-6514.

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Chapter engineers week activities

Wichita

The Wichita Society of Professional Engineers is proud to sponsor the 2007 “Engineer for a Day Program”. This program will be held during National Engineers Week, and is a an excellent opportunity for high school students to spend a day with a sponsor engineering firm and observe some of the specific duties and challenges of the engineering profession.

The 2007 “Engineer for a Day Program” is scheduled for Thursday, February 22nd, 2007. Our goal is to select three students from each high school in the surrounding area who are interested in pursing an engineering career and provide them the opportunity to spend a day with a host engineering firm.

Each student will be hosted from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. by a local engineering firm which specializes in the engineering field of interest specified by the student. A luncheon will be hosted by the Wichita Society Professional Engineers and Wichita State University to recognize the participating students and hosts. This year, our luncheon speaker will be Todd Barber. Todd is a native of Wichita and currently works as a senior propulsion engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Todd has worked on a number of high profile projects including the Mars Rover project which made headlines in 2003.

Golden Belt

The Golden Belt Chapter will have a presentation by KDWP's on Cheyenne Bottoms and the under-construction Educational Facility, along US-156.  The meeting will be held Thursday, February 22nd at the Classic Inn in Great Bend, starting at 6:30 p.m. with a social, 7:00 p.m. dinner, and program at 8:00 p.m.  Spouses and guests welcome.

Eastern
 

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NSPE hires new executive director

The NSPE Executive Director Search Team began looking for a new Executive Director in October of 2006.  The process began with 29 applications and were narrowed down to their choice of Lawrence A. Jacobson.  Mr. Jacobson is the current director of MATHCOUNTS.  He has accepted the position and the committee is working out the details of the agreement.

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future cities competition -  judges needed
January 20th, 2007

Middle School students from across the state of Kansas and Kansas City, MO will come to Kansas State University on January 20^th, 2007 to participate in one of 38 regional competitions. Students at the Great Plains Regional Competition are coming from approximately 20 different schools. From those 20 schools, 60 teams will be competing. There will be over 200 students at the competition.

The competition asks students, working in teams and under the guidance of a teacher and a volunteer engineer mentor from the community, to design a city of the future and include a plan that helps meet a particular social need.

Students build their cities first on a computer using SimCity 3000 software, donated to each school by Maxis, a division of Electronic Arts, and then in large three-dimensional scale models. They must also write an abstract describing their city, and an essay in which, this year, they must answer,

"How can futuristic transportation systems efficiently use aggregate materials as a basic construction product?"

First-place winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the Future City National Finals in Washington, D.C., during Engineers Week. Grand prize at the National Finals is a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

Judging Details:

• You will be part of panel of 4 judges assigned to a presentation room. Students will rotate in and out of the room to present to you.

• You will have timer helpers in the room. These will be undergraduate students who will keep the presentations running on time.

• You will also have runners assigned to your room. These students will keep track of your scoring sheets and will take the sheets to the scoring room to be tallied.

• You will find information on the scope of the competition, your role, sample scoring sheets, etc in the Judges Handbook. This pdf document is attached.

• Each team will have five to seven minutes to present to you and then you will have ten minutes to ask them questions (five for the presentation and five for the model).

• Your room will come equipped with the following supplies: tape measures, pens/pencils, scoring forms, timers, easels

• There will be a judges breakfast & meeting from 8:30 – 9:15am

• Preliminary Round Judges may leave at 1, but are encouraged to stay for the finals

Judges Schedule:

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NSPE FEATURED PRODUCTS/SERVICES

http://www.1800members.com/nspe

Members can save up to 25% on all DHL services through the DHL Partner Savings Program.

Send three shipments with a new account by 2/28/07 and receive a $25 DHL savings certificate.^* Call or visit 1-800-MEMBERS to set up your free DHL account today.

*$25 savings certificate offer is subject to terms and conditions.

All services may not be available in all areas and are subject to DHL Terms and Conditions as published at

www.dhl-usa.com. Please consult www.dhl-usa.com for service availability.

http://www.nspe.org/career/em6-sal.asp

Are you working on performance reviews? Want to find out if your company's salaries are competitive? NSPE has you covered with the largest and only real-time engineering compensation survey that covers over 35 engineering disciplines! Get a free report by participating in the survey!

http://www.nspe.org/pec/home.asp

Sustainable Design - Advantages of LEED Certification

Tom Hicks, vice president of LEED, U.S. Green Building Council Engineering and Construction

January 23, 12:30 - 2:00 EST (1.5 PDH)

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.

LEED produces quantifiable benefits for occupants, owners, and the environment.  It has also emerged as the leading marketing transformation tool for the commercial sector, offering an advantage over competitors and third-party validation of your sustainable accomplishments.

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NSPE Partners with ncees to promote 100 years of licensure

As part of its “100 Years of Licensure” celebration activities, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has partnered with the National Council of Engineering Examiners and Surveyors (NCEES) to continue the promotion of licensure and its importance to both the engineering profession and the public health, safety, and welfare.

"This partnership brings together the two associations vitally concerned with professional licensure issues,” said NSPE Acting Executive Director Arthur Schwartz. “Working with NCEES will strengthen NSPE’s core goal of raising awareness of the professional engineering license and its impact on society not only in the past 100 years, but also well into the future.”

A key component of the partnership will be a joint issue of PE magazine in June 2007, dedicated to all issues surrounding licensure. Some of the topics to be covered include

• Facts and figures about licensure;

• Feature story on the history of engineering licensure;

• “What the PE Means to Me” – a feature of short articles from prominent PEs who tell the licensure story from their own experiences;

• A look at the next 100 years of licensure; and

• A special edition of the “PEople” section, focusing on interesting PEs throughout history.

In addition to the partnership with NCEES, NSPE is planning to celebrate the “100 Years of Licensure” with the creation of an anniversary logo, prominent features regarding licensure on its Web site, a special event at the annual convention in Denver, Colo., and various other special events and contests throughout the year.

For more information about the partnership, and NSPE’s plans for celebrating the “100 Years of Licensure,” please contact Lee Mayfield at 703-684-2863 or lmayfield@nspe.org.

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Kansas Dam Safety Conference 2007

Dam owners interested in extending the life and safety of their dams, and professionals interested in expanding their technical knowledge of dam safety issues, are invited to attend the Kansas Dam Safety Conference 2007, sponsored by the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s dam safety program. The conference will be held in Topeka at the Holidome, Sixth and Fairlawn on March 12-14, 2007.  The two-day event will feature nearly 40 sessions covering inspections, maintenance and design relating to embankment dams. Activities include an evening social, field trip, luncheon and breakfast.  Registration and additional information are available online at the Kansas Department of Agriculture website.

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PE Exam reception

KSPE members congratulated Tim Lietzen, Brad Waller, Jason Abiecunas, Tom Smiley, Kelly Warren, Kyle Schomaker, Walter Bleser, Wayne Nelson, Dan Wadley, and Jacob Will for their completion of the PE exam on Friday, October 27^th.

Special Thanks to all of the KSPE members that attended this event!  Your support is greatly valued! 

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