March 2004 Mid-Month Govt. Affairs Update

 

IN THIS ISSUE …

 

 

1.                  National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.

2.                  Library of Congress Surveying and Mapping Exhibit.

3.                  Meeting with Barbara Ryan, USGS.

4.                  Application of Brooks Act to Mapping Services

5.                  Government Affairs in Nashville

 

National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. The hearing on the reauthorization of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program has been postponed. You may recall that Curt Sumner was scheduled to testify at that hearing; unfortunately the hearing may not take place until September 2004.

 

Library of Congress Surveying and Mapping Exhibit. Curt Sumner and Laurence Socci met recently with Dr. John Hebert, the Chief of the Geologic and Mapping Division at the Library of Congress and his staff to discuss the possibility of having an exhibit in the Library of Congress of our ACSM/NSPS Map Contest winners from 1982 up to the present. As of now, the exhibit would be located in the foyer of the Geologic and Map Division of the Library of Congress, located in the Madison Building. It was proposed that the exhibit would start during National Surveyor’s Week, 2005 with an opening reception and would continue for possibly one year. There will be costs associated with putting together this exhibit including mounting the maps and preparing literature for the exhibit. The estimated costs are around $25,000 for the entire exhibit. We hope to raise money for this worthwhile project through contributions and donations. The Library of Congress staff asked for a proposal from us by May, so that we will have plenty of time to work through the details. As you can imagine, this will be a hot topic at the JGAC meeting in Nashville.

 

Meeting with Barbara Ryan, USGS. Laurence Socci and Curt Sumner met recently with Barbara Ryan, Associate Director of Geography at the USGS. The primary discussion of the meeting was the status of the National Map and how ACSM and the USGS can work together for its benefit. We discussed how the National Map should be the basis for the Geospatial-One-Stop. That proposition may work toward the goal of having all data, on all levels, current and correct. There were several other propositions raised. One was, whether there could be a handbook for the National Map so that it could be more user friendly. We discussed the value of the Map to the general public and Curt raised the question of whether the National Map could be used as an educational tool. USGS staff noted that a marketing effort would be needed to teach the value of the National Map. Another proposal raised was whether there should be a cadastral layer on the Map (there isn’t one there now). USGS staff talked about the hydrograph layer of the Map was used for time and travel studies. We are working on securing a meeting with Peter Lyttle, the Program Coordinator for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping and Landslide Hazards Program. We ended the meeting with the agreement that USGS and ACSM will continue to work together and will try to have regular meetings to discuss mapping issues.

 

Application of Brooks Act to Mapping Services.  The Federal Register recently announced that the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) is considering whether guidance in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) addressing the application of the Brooks Act to mapping services should be amended, and is seeking public comment on the issue. The FAR currently requires application of the Brooks Act’s qualification based selection process to certain types of mapping services, such as, research, planning, development, design, construction, or alteration of real property. These services, under the FAR definition, are considered to be architectural and engineering (A&E) services. Services NOT traditionally considered A&E services are to be considered under FAR parts 13, 14, and 15. These FAR parts allow agencies to employ sealed bids or competitive negotiations including the consideration of cost and price. The announcement is posted in the March 23, 2004 Federal Register and comments must be submitted by May 24, 2004.

 

Government Affairs in Nashville. This year, the JGAC meeting at our Spring Conference will be an all-day affair. It is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday the 16^th.  In addition to our normal meeting, we plan to have a Lobbying Roundtable to discuss what we are doing at the Federal level and what is being done at the State level. This will be a great opportunity to exchange ideas and solutions on federal and state issues. Also, this year Laurence Socci will offer a lobbying seminar for anyone interested in learning more about the lobbying game from the inside. The will be a great introduction if you are planning to join us on Lobby Day later this year.