In this issue:
• 2012 Architects in Albany Lobby Day
• Student loans got you down?
• e-Calendar

2012 Architects in Albany Lobby Day

(l-r) Mary Burke, FAIA, Jill Lerner, FAIA, Joseph Aliotta, AIA, and Susan Chin, FAIA, in Albany.

Jay Bond

On 05.01.12 AIANY sent representatives to AIA New York State’s (AIANYS) Architects in Albany Lobby Day. 2012 AIANY President Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA, led a group of Chapter leaders and NYC-based practitioners: AIANY President-elect Jill N. Lerner, FAIA; AIANY Executive Director Rick Bell, FAIA; 2012 AIANYS Regional Directors President Anthony P. Schirripa, FAIA, IIDA, and Susan Chin, FAIA; 2012 AIANYS Board Member Mary A. Burke, FAIA; Terrence E. O’Neal, AIA; Venesa Alicea, AIA; and 2012 AIANY Board Member Illya Azaroff, AIA. The day’s meetings were organized by AIANY Policy Director Jay Bond, AIA, who also attended.

It was a busy day in Albany: appointments started with the Office of NYS Senator Thomas K. Duane, a longtime friend and supporter of the work of Center for Architecture. AIANY also met with staff of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and NYS Assembly Member Deborah Glick, who, as chair of the Higher Education Committee, oversees licensing of the professions; NYS Senator Liz Krueger; the staff of Assembly Member Keith L.T. Wright and Senator Adriano Espaillat. This was our first meeting with a number of Manhattan legislators, and they were very receptive to our agenda. This trip to Albany was important because the Chapter pushed for vital issues: Statute of Repose and the Good Samaritan Act. The lack of the former puts New York architects and designers at a competitive disadvantage with our colleagues in other states, and without the second piece of legislation architects are unable to volunteer professional services during times of crisis or catastrophe.

The Chapter emphasized its concerns over our state’s lack of a statute of repose. Currently, 48 states and the District of Columbia have some sort of statute of repose for design professionals, while architects in New York State have to maintain their insurance into retirement. (Although there is a three year statute of limitations on actions brought by an owner or client, architects are answerable to third party claims for an indefinite period after project completion). AIANY advocates a 10-year limitation on third-party claims, recognizing that the design professional has no control over a property after construction is complete. The Chapter wanted elected officials to understand that there is a point when a building goes from being well-designed to well-maintained, and that is the point when the architect should no longer be liable.

The Chapter also addressed the Good Samaritan Act, which would allow engineers and architects to provide services in times of emergency without fear of legal action. All of the legislation mentioned are in various states of progress in the Senate and the Assembly, and it’s not clear how far they will get before the session ends in June. They are working with colleagues from around the state to get traction on the priorities. If there are particular pieces of legislation either before the state legislature or the New York City Council that were not mentioned here, please feel free to bring them to the Chapter’s attention. If you have the opportunity to see your State Assembly Members or Senators and they are co-sponsors of these important bills, take a moment to thank them for their support. If they are not sponsors, please ask them to consider joining the bills. More details on these bills, along with information on bills opposed, appear here.

Student loans got you down?
Graduates of all stripes – from BAs to MBAs to M.Archs – are graduating with more student debt than ever before. According to the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, outstanding student loan debt has surpassed $1 trillion, replacing credit card debt as the largest source of household debt excluding mortgages. It’s for this reason that AIA National and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) recently called for Congress to pass legislation that will offer debt assistance to interns and architects if they donate their services to their communities and elsewhere. The legislation includes architecture school graduates in the same programs that apply to other graduates. Read more about the important initiative here.

eCALENDAR
eCalendar includes an interactive listing of architectural events around NYC.