Overview

I arrived early to support the Student Competition and the UVU team in particular since they were the only school competing from Utah. The same type and style of competition was held, with a scavenger hunt on the first day and three field survey events on the second day. Namely, there was a triangulation exercise — back sighting the Washington Monument (which is an official NGS Monument), Level Loop with an old dumpy level with non‑adjustable tripod legs, and a four-sided compass and chain traverse course. There were 24 teams competing from HS, AAS or BS degree programs. Utah did not place.

Tuesday was “Day on the Hill.” Wednesday had NSPS committee meetings of which I attended three. I am a member of the Government Affairs Committee, Workforce Development Committee and Education Committee. Highlights from these committee meetings, as well as the Western States Directors Council and the board of directors business meeting highlights, are found in the following sections.

NSPS Government Affairs Committee Report

A review of the Day on the Hill was made by all members of the committee. Utah is as follows:

2024 Legislative Agenda
The consulting company, Miller-Wenhold, and their registered federal lobbyist, “JB” John Byrd, throughout the year, are involved with politics and legislation at the federal level. They have many connections with and understand the processes involved in obtaining and revising legislation at the federal level. JB does training for all NSPS board members regarding current issues they deem important to be brought to members of Congress and the various committees each serve on or chair. Along with the NSPS executive board leadership, they decide the best legislative strategy to be taken on behalf of the NSPS in regard to the various legislation and issues. Before the official NSPS board and committee meetings begin on Wednesday, board members participate in a “Day on the Hill,” which includes training and visits to senators and representatives and/or their staffs. The consultants set up the appointments and make other necessary arrangements, including a follow-up meeting and an annual report (about 20 pages) describing all legislative issues being addressed in some form on behalf of the NSPS.

• TAP Pilot for 2025 NDAA
  Because of the high demand for surveying and mapping services and the significant shortage of available labor force, NSPS is requesting that members of Congress implement a pilot program into the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (an annual act that authorizes various activities by the Department of Defense (DOD)). This request for a pilot program applies specifically to the DOD’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP), which exists to help departing personnel obtain work in the civilian sector. NSPS has decided to offer the surveying and mapping profession as a pilot to show the DOD how to tie Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) directly to Civilian Positions, which has not happened in the past. For example, tying Geospatial Engineer-12Y or Field Artillery Surveyor-13S to a similar civilian job. The titles alone seem to show the private surveying firm that these are skills that can be employed in the civilian surveying and mapping profession.
  
  

  NSPS is behind this pilot program, and we asked members of Congress and Senate to “include a provision to the 2025 NDAA that would authorize a pilot program in the DOD’s TAP to target members of the Armed Services, with relevant skillsets, training and military surveying, mapping and geospatial experience to transition into applicable career opportunities in civilian sector surveying.”

• Surveying Licensure Protects Public Health, Safety and Welfare
  Across the country, various federal and state agencies and governments have been eliminating or restricting licenses of various types. In some cases, all licensing has been in jeopardy of elimination regardless of whether or not the licensing protects the health, safety and welfare of its citizens. Because of this threat to the surveying and mapping profession, the NSPS respectfully urges members of the House to cosponsor H.Con.Res.96 by contacting Tyler Mortier with Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) at tyler.mortier@mail.house.gov or 5-2431. NSPS respectfully urges U.S. senators to sponsor a companion “sense of the Congress” resolution, highlighting the important role licensing of surveyors, architects and engineers play in protecting the public health, safety and welfare.
  
  
• Survey Mark Preservation in a Disaster Cleanup
  We are all aware of the need to preserve monumentation and survey marks. This is particularly true after a disaster (earthquake, fire, flood, etc.) claims or threatens to claim these monuments and marks. In the past, many monuments have been lost due to such disasters, particularly during the cleanup phase. NSPS respectfully urges Congress to include a provision in disaster planning and response legislation, ensuring that survey mark reestablishment and preservation by professional surveyors be included in both pre-cleanup discussions as well as access to recovery and disaster relief and assistance programs.

2024 Day on the Hill Highlights

Sen. Lee’s Staff Visit
I kept the 11:00 a.m. appointment with Jacey Albaugh, legislative correspondent for Sen. Mike Lee (363 Russell Bldg., Washington, D.C.). Although she was 30 minutes late, once she was present, she was very attentive, intelligent and able to understand all the issues and concerns I brought up on behalf of NSPS and the surveying profession in Utah. She was unable to commit Sen. Lee to the NSPS ask but did say she would investigate further because she is the legislative correspondent and chair of Sen. Lee’s Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) staff committee.

She had the time for me to discuss the other issues in the packet we dropped off.

After discussing the licensing issue along with the workforce development issues I brought up in the state of Utah, she committed to leaving the information with Stephen Hansen, legislative correspondent and staff committee chair for labor. Also, after discussing the TAP Pilot for 2025 NDAA issue, she committed to leaving this information with Karina Mariotti, military legislative assistant.

Overall, this was a good initial meeting and will require my follow-up with each individual involved to see if we can still get a commitment from Sen. Lee on each of these issues.

Sen. Romney’s Staff Visit
No one committed to a previously arranged appointment, but I stopped by and gave the same packet of information to Miriam Harmer, senior policy advisor. I will need to follow up.

Rep. Curtis’s Staff Visit
I kept the appointment with Rep. John Curtis’s staffer named Troy Dougall (son of John Dougall from Utah, who is running for John Curtis’ Utah District 3 House Seat). He had an open afternoon, so we spent an hour together discussing all three issues in the packet, as well as the surveying and mapping workforce shortage in Utah. His fiancé’s sister is in the middle of rethinking her college major choice, and he thought she would be interested in surveying and mapping. He was quite positive about each program but seemed most interested in Rep. Curtis’s involvement in the TAP Pilot for the 2025 NDAA program. I will follow up with Troy’s progress in this area.

This concluded my visits to members of Congress and Senate. Each appointment constituted an initial visit and will require subsequent follow-up visits to discuss not only this issue but others as they arise. It is about building relationships.

NSPS Workforce Development (WFD) Committee Meeting

Some interesting statistics:

• 300 million survey monuments in the USA.
• 37,000 licensed surveyors in the USA.
• After 20 years, 50% of engineers leave the career.

Trent Keenan, the new committee chair, put together a promotional packet he calls Surveying 101, which will soon be available to all states. I plan to discuss this document at length with Chris Donaghue, UCLS Education Committee chair, when it becomes available. NSPS has really provided some excellent promotional resources and training. This has already started to have an impact over the past year with what seems to feel like an increase in awareness of the surveying and mapping profession.

Some of the successes include:

• Some states have approached the FFA program in their local areas, resulting in increased higher education enrollments.
• Used GIS to attract new students.
• State organization will establish a budget for recruitment and WFD.
• Certificate programs at local technical schools (magnet or focused HS).
• Contact city commissioners or council members about workforce development.
• Repeat, repeat, repeat the surveying profession message.
• State affiliate organizations (UCLS) to create a focus on WFD.
• Get chapter presidents involved and committed to WFD and promotion.
• Oregon PLSO produced a video ($6,600), and they have divided the foundation money into outreach and scholarships.

Suggestions for things to do in Utah and the UCLS include:

• UVU to pursue a possible surveying technology certificate MTech (previously Mountainland Technology).
• Keep and report a running tally of all the outreach events in our state.
• Put together a little suitcase with promotional materials (101 packet) for each chapter to use.
• Collaboration with adjoining states may help pay for a marketing/recruiting person and call this person a career ambassador (outreach), which includes a nameplate and a gas voucher.
• Hold a “Day on the Hill” in Utah.

Education Committee

They are just getting organized by a newly appointed chair. Nothing to report at this time.

Western States Director’s Council

• Provided a report on behalf of Utah since the NSPS Fall Meeting (September 2023).
• A letter of reconsideration was written by the UCLS Executive Board requesting that the Utah DOPL review their decision to not cite a county planner who, according to the complainant (a private surveyor), was practicing surveying without a license. This case has caused quite a stir among the licensed surveyors in the state. DOPL decided not to overturn their decision, and the UCLS dropped any further comments or responses to DOPL.

Board of Directors Business Meeting

• A Military Committee was formed by the NSPS for the purpose of strengthening the relationship with the existing military personnel in the private sector and, in particular, the surveying and mapping profession.
• Committee reports were made.
• Announcement of new officers was made:
  • Davey Edwards, President
  • Linda Foster, President-Elect
  • Tim Murphy, Vice President
  • Craig Amey, Secretary
  • Robert Miller, Treasurer
  • Bob Akins, Past President
• Nominations, appointments and elections for 2024-25 were held.
• The fall meeting was held in October 2024 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.