AIA Maine Leaders Joined More Than 400 AIA Members To Meet With Members of Congress
From Left to Right: David Matero, AIA of David Matero Architecture, Jeannette Schram, Executive Director of AIA Maine, and Andrew Ashey, AIA of Aamp Studio.
On February 15th, AIA Maine Board Members David Matero, AIA of David Matero Architecture, Andrew Ashey, AIA of Aamp Studio, along with Jeannette Schram, Executive Director of AIA Maine, traveled to Washington D.C to meet with Maine’s legislators in support of the Democracy in Design Act and the Resilient AMERICA Act.
Over 400 AIA-member architects met with legislators to discuss the Democracy In Design Act (S.366), to ensure that communities across the country maintain a voice in the design of federal buildings consistent with their preferences, culture, topographies, and design traditions. Architects are also advocating for the Resilient AMERICA Act, which would make significant changes to the federal government’s ability to prepare communities for future natural disasters. The bill accomplishes this by increasing federal funding for pre-disaster mitigation through FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
“Improving building and community resilience to future climate-related natural disasters is a key component of AIA’s goal,” said AIA 2023 President Emily Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA. “Additionally, it remains critically important that our country retain the flexibility to choose between a variety of design styles in our public buildings, not have those decisions dictated at the outset.
AIA Lobby Day was one component of this year’s AIA Leadership Summit. AIA’s Lobby Day provides architects with a platform to directly advocate in support of legislation impacting the profession.
Grandstaff-Rice added, “As trained problem-solvers and natural facilitators, architects have the skills to help legislators develop policies that create more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities.”
Visit AIA’s website to learn more about its advocacy efforts.