News:
THE CLOCK IS TICKING: TELL CONGRESS TO STOP TAX HIKES ON SMALL DESIGN FIRM
A few weeks ago I told you about a proposal before Congress that would increase taxes on architecture and other professional service S corporations. Thanks to your efforts, many members of Congress have spoken out against the proposal.
But now it’s back, and Congressional leaders are hoping to ram it through this week. We need your help telling Congress not to increase taxes on the smallest architecture firms.
The proposal, Sec. 413 of the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, would expand payroll taxes to the earnings of any architecture S corporation with three or fewer lead partners. (You can read the text of the bill here: http://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_hr4213_txt.pdf)
The House of Representatives may vote on this provision as early as Tuesday, with the Senate to follow. We need you to tell your Representative to oppose this provision and focus their efforts on provisions that will create jobs, not hike taxes on struggling architecture firms, many of which have had to cut jobs in this recession.
Click on the Take Action button to tell your members of Congress to oppose increasing payroll taxes paid by S corporation shareholders.
NCARB | Confidentiality Agreement to Change 1 July 2010
Beginning 1 July 2010, Prometric test centers will be using a new Confidentiality Agreement acceptance procedure for all divisions of the ARE. Prior to beginning their exam, all candidates will need to first acknowledge that they have read and understand the Confidentiality Agreement in its entirety. Then candidates will be required to accept the agreement before proceeding to the examination.
By taking divisions of the ARE, candidates are personally responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all information relating to the exam. They may not discuss exam content in any manner with anyone, including but not limited to family, friends, other examinees, and test preparation providers. This agreement also covers internet chat rooms, mailing list servers, web sites, etc.
Any disclosure of ARE content is strictly prohibited and may result in severe disciplinary action, including the suspension of testing privileges, and/or the cancellation of scores.
Candidates choosing to decline the Confidentiality Agreement will have their exam session terminated before being exposed to any exam content. The exam fee for the division WILL NOT be refunded if a candidate chooses to decline the agreement and end his or her exam.
The new Confidentiality Agreement will appear as shown here. To enter the exam, a candidate must:
• Step 1: Read and understand the Confidentiality Agreement.
• Step 2: Check the box just below the Confidentiality Agreement.
• Step 3: Click the “I Accept” button in the lower left portion of the screen.
Candidates who choose to decline the Confidentiality Agreement will be given the opportunity to “Return” to the agreement or they may choose to “Exit” the exam. Exiting the examination will result in forfeiture of the testing fee.
Candidates who choose to exit the examination will be given one last opportunity to “Return” to the agreement or they may choose to end their exam. Selecting “End Exam” on this screen will terminate the delivery of this division of the ARE. Exiting the examination will result in forfeiture of the testing fee.
2010 AIA Kansas Design Awards
Get those photos taken and make your entries for the 2010 AIA Kansas Design Awards. Key dates:
Receipt of entry form – July 1, 2010*
Submittal Deadline – MONDAY, August 2, 2010, 5pm, AIA Kansas Office
Award entrants notified – TBA
Award presentation – September 16, 2010 in Topeka, Kansas
Design Jury Co-Chairs: TBA
*Entries will be accepted until the submittal deadline but encouraged earlier.
For more information and click here.
The American Institute of Architects Select 18 Recipients for the 2010 Housing Awards
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced the 18 recipients of the 2010 Housing Awards. The AIA’s Housing Awards Program, now in its tenth year, was established to recognize the best in housing design and promote the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit and a valuable national resource.The jury for the 2010 Housing Awards includes: Andrew V. Porth (chair), AIA, Porth Architects, Inc.; Jane Kolleeny, Architectural Record and GreenSource; Natalye Appel, FAIA, Natalye Appel + Associates Architects; Geoffrey Goldberg, AIA, G. Goldberg and Associates, and Grace Kim, AIA, Schemata Workshop.
The jury recognized projects in four award categories: One/Two Family Custom Housing, One/Two Family Production Housing, Multifamily Housing, and Special Housing.
The descriptions below give a brief summary of the projects. Click here if you would like to learn more about these projects. If you are interested in obtaining high resolution images, please contact Matt Tinder at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
AIA Kansas City Board of Directors | Call for Nominations
Are you looking to get more involved with your profession? AIA Kansas City is looking for you. If you are interested in running for an AIA Kansas City Board Position please let us know. The positions that are up for election are President-Elect, Secretary, Director, and Associate Director. Please email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you have any questions or are interested in a position.
AIA St. Louis Presents AIA Central States Region 2010 Design Awards
The AIA Central States Region (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebrask and Oklahoma recognizes outstanding achievements in design and planning. We welcome entries from CSR-based architects and designers as well as architects and designers based elsewhere who have projects within the Central States Region.
Jury Chair:
Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA of PUGH + SCARPA Architects (AIA 2010 Firm of the Year)
Registration Deadline: June 15, 2010
Submission Deadline: July 15, 2010
All the information you need for the AIA Central States Region 2010 Design Awards is located below, including guidelines, registration forms and the powerpoint templates. Please download the necessary forms and files for entry directions. If you have any questions, please call AIA St. Louis at (314)621-3484 if you have any further questions.
Six-Month Rule Goes Into Effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT 1 July 2010
The final phase of the Six-Month Rule will go into effect for all interns who established an NCARB Record prior to 1 July 2009 at 12:01 a.m. EDT on 1 July 2010. The Six-Month Rule is already in effect for interns that established an NCARB Record on or after 1 July 2009.
The Six-Month Rule requires interns to submit their training hours in reporting periods of no longer than six months and within two months of completion of each reporting period. Once interns have submitted their training hours to their supervisor through the electronic Experience Verification Reporting (e-EVR) system in My NCARB Record, those hours are protected while under review. To be protected, you must have a “submitted” status on the upper right of the report. A report that has a “saved” status is not protected.
Your supervisor does not need to approve your experience report by 1 July 2010. A supervisor can return a report for edits and still have the report be safe from the Six-Month Rule. However, submitted training hours can be lost if they are deemed invalid by a supervisor, or if they are not earned in accordance with the rules of the IDP.
Here’s how it works:
Example 1: Standard
An intern taking maximum advantage of the reporting and filing periods would have through August 31 to report training hours that were earned during the six-month period starting January 1 and ending June 30. While the reporting period is a maximum of six months, the filing period could be any time on or after June 30 through August 31.
Example 2: Administrative Delay
Same example as above, but there is an incidental problem with the report or supplementary information is required and it takes additional time for NCARB and the intern to resolve. The intern may still count the time between January 1 and June 30 once the problem is resolved and accepted by NCARB.
Example 3: Missed Filing Period
If an intern attempts to file an experience report on October 3 for a period covering January 15 through July 14, the report will not be accepted. The intern must recalculate and resubmit the report.
In this example, February 4 is the earliest possible start date for an experience report submitted on October 3 and any training hours accumulated from January 15 through February 3 would be lost. If February 4 was used as the start date, then the reporting period would end on August 3, six months later, and the intern could file his or her report on October 3.
Six-Month Rule Extensions
Extensions are available for the birth or adoption of a child, military service, or serious medical condition. An extension form with supporting documentation must be submitted to NCARB. Extensions apply only to the experience-filing period.
Examples:
Birth or Adoption of a Child
An intern has become a new parent or adopted a child on January 15. Before taking a leave of absence on January 1, the intern had completed six months of work (July 1 — December 31). Whereas the intern would normally be expected to file the experience report by February 28, following a documented and approved request the intern would be given until August 31 to file this report.
Active Military Duty
An intern has been called to active military duty on January 15. Before this event, the intern had worked until December 31, having completed six months of work (July 1 — December 31) that could be reported for training hour credit. Whereas the intern would normally be expected to submit the experience report by February 28, following a documented and approved request, the intern would be given a reasonable extension for filing this report following the intern’s end of active military duty.
Serious Medical Condition
Similar to Example 6, an intern who has experienced a serious medical condition could, with appropriate and approved documentation from a licensed medical doctor overseeing the intern’s care, be allowed a reasonable extension of the two-month filing period.
There are no exceptions or extensions granted for missing the deadline to establish an NCARB Record by 1 July 2009 or the 12:01 a.m. EDT 1 July 2010 deadline in accordance with the requirements of the Six-Month Rule.
Do you need more information? Check out the Six-Month Rule section of our web site here. It includes more examples of how the Six-Month Rule will work as well as links to webcasts, podcasts, and other resources.
Report your experience today!
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Christine McEntee departs AIA
Washington, D.C., April 19, 2010–The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced today that Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Christine McEntee will leave the Institute July 23, 2010 to become Executive Director of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), an international non-profit scientific association dedicated to furthering the sciences of geophysics through individual efforts and in cooperation with other scientific organizations.
McEntee leads a staff of seasoned professionals who capably manage the AIA’s daily operations and who, along with McEntee, will assist the elected leadership of the AIA during the transition to a new executive. A search committee working under the guidance of the AIA Board Executive Committee will be formed, with a national search for candidates to be conducted by an executive search firm. McEntee will work closely with the AIA leadership and staff to ensure a smooth transition.
2010 AIA Comittee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects
Check out the 2010 AIA Comittee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects. Including the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, a BNIM project. Click here to view images and read all about these projects.
Webinar Series | Learn How the Six-Month Rule Will Affect You
Six-Month Rule
On 1 July 2010 at 12:01 a.m. EDT, the Six-Month Rule will require that all interns submit their training hours in reporting periods of no longer than six months and within two months of completion of each reporting period.
Want to know more? Then this webinar is for you. NCARB’s Assistant Directors of IDP, Nick Serfass, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, and Rachel Kros, AIA, NCARB will lead you through the ins and outs of this new rule. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Date: Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Cost: Free
Please note: Enrollment for all webinars is limited to 500. A webcast and podcast of each webinar will be available for download from the NCARB web site following the event.
If you’d like learn more about the Six-Month Rule, check our web site.