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SEPAC MISSION |
| The Structural Engineers Political Action Committee (SEPAC) was formed in 1987 to represent the interests of structural engineering and allied professions in the political and legislative arenas in Illinois as an independent, bipartisan political action organization dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare; the promotion of the application of structural engineering; the improvement of relevant government activities; and the preservation and advancement of the structural engineering profession. |
SEPAC is composed of SEAOI members who volunteer their time to meet regularly and to keep SEAOI membership aware of current issues affecting the practice of structural engineering. SEPAC is not affiliated with any political party, but through its officers and legislative lobbyists, legislation and regulatory changes are monitored. The financial support for SEPAC comes from the generous contributions of individual SEAOI members and from large and small engineering firms. Political contributions are made to candidates and elected officials at the State and local levels without regard to political party who have demonstrated interest in the protection and advancement of the structural engineering profession.
Through SEPAC, structural engineers can join forces as a community to monitor legislation and regulatory changes that affect the profession. By combining efforts for the benefit of the profession, members can achieve more than would be possible individually.
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| Critical Issues Facing the Profession |
| Gross Receipts Tax |
| A plan to fix the State budget problems has been proposed that will levy a gross receipt tax that may have a significant impact on service based businesses such as design professionals. We need to monitor this proposed bill to ensure that design professionals are treated fairly and that our businesses are not placed with a non-competitive burden. |
| Unionization |
| Unionization is a fact. It has come to the geotechnical engineers because they were not united on an industry issue. In order to limit union encroachment, most geotechnical companies have formed separate legal field subsidiaries. The office personnel may be next. This begs the very important questions of independence, unbiased judgment, control of work and quality, and allegiance of personnel. |
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Upcoming Events |
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SEPAC-SEAOI Dinner Meeting |
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Coming off of a successful Cocktail Party, SEPAC
will be sponsoring the upcoming SEPAC-SEAOI Dinner
Meeting on September 13, 2011.
The invited speaker is Governor Pat Quinn.
Governor Quinn has spoken previously at a
SEPAC sponsored event when he spoke at the SEPAC
Principal’s Luncheon in 2007 as Lieutenant Governor.
Possible topics include the current economic
environment in Illinois, the state of Illinois
infrastructure, or the state budget.
As is common with higher government
officials, Governor Quinn has not yet confirmed his
attendance, but should he not be able to attend, he
is expected to appoint someone in his administration
in his stead.
The SEAOI Dinner Meeting will be held at the Cliff
Dwellers, 200 S. Michigan, Chicago, IL.
The doors open at 5:15 pm.
Dinner will be served with the program to
follow.
1.0 CEUs will be issued to those who attend.
Cost: $45 Members/$65 Non-members.
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| Date: |
9.13.11 |
| Location: |
Cliff Dwellers Club |
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200 S. Michigan Avenue |
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22nd Floor |
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Chicago, IL |
| Cash Bar: |
5:15pm |
| Dinner: |
6:00pm |
| Program: |
7:00pm |
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CEUs: |
1.0 |
| Cost: |
$45 members |
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$65 non-members |
| RSVP: |
(Advance reservations required) Contact Donna Childs at 312.726.4165 x200 or
office@seaoi.org
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| Past Events |
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2011 SEPAC Cocktail Party |
July 28, 2011
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2009 Principals Luncheon - Senate President John J. Cullerton |
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 2008 Annual Cocktail Evening at the Chicago Yacht Club |
 SEPAC’s Annual Cocktail Evening at the Chicago Yacht Club,
was held on August 30, 2008 overlooking Chicago’s lake front. It included a panel
discussion on the topic of “The Business of Engineering”. Among the subjects covered where: ethics, insurance, legal issues, cost,
and political considerations.
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2007 Principals Luncheon - Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn |
| Governor Quinn shared his insights on the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) and on a number of his initiatives for the State like improving the quality of dams and rail lines. |
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Sponsors:
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Qualification Based Selection – QBS |
| SEPAC, together with a coalition of Engineering and Architect Organizations, was successful in getting this legislation passed. This legislation requires that the bidding and selection process for public projects be driven by qualifications first, rather than just fees. |
| Good Samaritan Act |
| Successfully sponsored legislation for the Good Samaritan Act. This Act passed largely through the efforts of SEPAC. |
| 2006 Principals Luncheon – Judy Baar Topinka |
| Provided an opportunity for SEAOI members to meet with the current State Treasurer and Candidate for Governor at the April 2006 Principals’ Luncheon. |
| Transportation For Illinois Coalition - TFIC |
| Provided continued financial support and backing to the TFIC to advance and promote the State’s Transportation needs and infrastructure development. |
| Indemnification Bill |
| Provided early review and input to the proposed amendment of the indemnification provisions. Timely input led to further review of the proposed changes. |
| SEAOI/SEPAC Dinner Meeting – Paul Green |
| Provided an opportunity for SEAOI members to listen to and interact with political analyst Paul Green in September 2006. |
| SEPAC Cocktail Party |
| Hosted the First Annual Cocktail party to provide a forum for SEAOI members along with other design professionals to discuss and debate current issues and to formulate strategies for 2007 |
| Structural Work Act |
| Opposed re-enactment of the Structural Work Act, attended meetings of, and contributed money to, the AHEAD (Alliance to Help Employment and Development) Coalition against the Structural Work Act. |
| Landscape Architecture Practice Act |
| Continued to monitor legislation that could impact the structural engineering profession (e.g., Landscape Architecture Practice Act). |
| Union-related Legislation |
| Successfully opposed House Bills HB2274, HB3992, HB4138, and Senate Bills SB1770, SB2289 AND SB2435 which were proposed by labor unions and would have amended the Professional Engineering Practice Act to the benefit of unions. |
| Legislative Alerts |
| E-mailed SEAOI members about legislative alerts and placed the alerts on the SEAOI website. |
| Legislative Updates |
| Placed regular legislative updates in the SEAOI Bulletin. |
