Capitol Contours - Spring 2026

I’m John “JB” Byrd, the registered lobbyist for the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), and President of Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies based in Fairfax City, Virginia. 

Welcome to another edition of Capitol Contours with JB. 

A few highlights since our last update include: 

As of February 3, eleven of the twelve annual appropriations for Fiscal Year 2026 were signed into law to help keep the Federal government open through September 30. The bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, which included FEMA’s flood mapping program, is still being negotiated with a partial government shutdown now underway at the time of this column being published. Connected to DHS, any potential structural and policy changes for FEMA, on January 23, The White House issued an executive order for a continuance of the FEMA Review Panel which took effect January 24. 

On January 20, NSPS wrote President Trump requesting a proclamation be issued for the week of March 15-21, 2026, to help recognize and commemorate the importance of the profession. The letter states, “Recognizing a National Surveyors Week will call on the people of the United States to observe with appropriate ceremonies and activities the contributions to society of the surveying profession. In addition, this will invite the American people to look back at the historic contributions of surveying, as well as look forward upon the new technologies which are constantly modernizing this honored and learned profession.” 

On January 12, I teamed with PSLS Lobbyist Bob Regola on a joint presentation related to federal and state legislation and regulation impacting the surveying profession during the Annual PSLS Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

On December 9, the NSPS Government Affairs team met in Fairfax, Virginia, at the offices of the society's lobbyists, Miller/Wenhold Government Affairs. Attending were NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch, Government Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Sargent of New Hampshire, and NSPS Federal Lobbyist John "JB" Byrd. Following a review of issues and opportunities likely to be considered by Congress and the Trump administration in 2026 and a review of the 2025 issues and activities, the three issues selected and approved by the NSPS Executive Committee for the 2026 NSPS Day on the Hill set for April 14, 2026 are: 1) Geodetic Framework as a National Priority; 2) Workforce Development - Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women entering civilian life with surveying experience in the military; and 3) Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act (H.R. 1178) as connected to tickborne disease. Registration for the Hill Day closes March 13. On March 16 at 2:00pm Eastern, NSPS will host a training webinar in advance of the 2026 NSPS Day on the Hill. 

On December 26, President Trump signed into law H.R. 187, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters (MAPWaters) Act. The bill enhances access to the nation’s outdoor recreational opportunities by digitizing and standardizing mapping information, such as access points and permissible uses, of federal waters. It also requires the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to publish online GIS data on federal waterways and fishing restrictions within four years while also citing integration of data with both the FLAIR Act and the MAPLAND Act, bills long supported by NSPS. 

On December 18, President Trump signed into law S. 1071, the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), P.L. 119-60. Section 162 amends the 2025 NDAA provision on foreign-made lidar by defining “covered LiDAR technology” to mean LiDAR technology and any related services and equipment manufactured by a covered LiDAR company and using operating software developed in a covered foreign country or by an entity domiciled in a covered foreign country. 

On December 18, Tim Petty’s nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 53-43. A former staffer to Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), former Chair of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), and most recently professional staff handling USACE issues and the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he will now serve as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at the Department of Commerce and NOAA. 

As Congress continues its work, NSPS will provide updates as part of Capitol Contours with JB. 

Until next time, this is JB! 

---