Capitol Contours - Summer 2025

A Few Highlights Since Our Last Update

On March 15, President Trump signed 1968, the "Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025," into Public Law 119-4, which provides fiscal year 2025 appropriations to federal agencies through Sept. 30, 2025, averting a shutdown of the federal government. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and funds most programs and activities at the FY2024 levels while also extending FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). 

March 18 was the annual NSPS Day on the Hill, which helped to make sure the voice of the surveying profession was heard loud and clear in Congress. An online training webinar was conducted on February 25. NSPS members advocated positions on licensing, monument preservation and TAP pilot for the 2026 defense bill before Congress as part of the NSPS "Day on the Hill." More than 80 NSPS members from 43 states and DC visited more than 170 staff of members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to discuss the role of the surveying profession in pending legislation. 

The NSPS Government Affairs Committee (GAC) met in March during the society's Spring Business Meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland. During the session, NSPS Federal Lobbyist John "JB" Byrd provided highlights from the Government Affairs Update with numerous advances on key NSPS legislative priorities. With the leadership from Government Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Sargent of New Hampshire, committee members discussed issues such as licensing, monument preservation, workforce development involving the military branches, the newly reintroduced Sinkhole Mapping Bill, the IMAGES Act and GPS interference. 

Earlier this year, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) re-introduced legislation important to the surveying profession. The Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act (H.R. 1178), with 25 bipartisan cosponsors, would designate alpha-gal as a major food allergen. Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to red meat or other products containing alpha-gal, impacting hundreds of thousands of Americans across the nation, including surveyors that suffer from "the red meat allergy you catch from a tick bite." Within weeks or months following the bite of a tick, a person can develop anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction to anything containing the alpha-gal sugar. This not only includes beef, pork, and other red meats, but also dairy and other byproducts commonly found in food, pharmaceuticals, and everyday household and healthcare items. More information can be found on the NSPS webpage on Tick Disease. 

On April 8, H.R. 2731, the “Great Lakes Mapping Act of 2025” was introduced by Reps. Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and now has 15 bipartisan cosponsors. Section 2 authorizes NOAA mapping for $50 Million through FY2029 to produce a high-resolution map of the lakebeds of the Great Lakes while collecting and processing high-resolution bathymetric data about the lakebeds of the Great Lakes. The bill also references the Digital Coast Act and the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act. 

On April 9, H.R. 900, the Sinkhole Mapping Act was reported favorably out of the House Natural Resources Committee after being introduced by Reps. Darren Soto (D-FL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). This federal legislation directs USGS to conduct studies on mechanisms that potentially contribute to the triggering of sinkholes, as well as open a public website that displays maps depicting zones at greater risk of sinkhole formation. NSPS worked closely with Congressional staff to add USGS 3DEP language to Section 2 of the bill. NSPS has endorsed this bipartisan bill. 

On April 22, NSPS was one of 90 organizations to sign coalition letters to President Trump and to Congressional Leadership reminding them of the 5th Anniversary of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) approval of the Ligado Order. Studies have shown there will be harmful GPS interference, and numerous agencies such as DOD, USDOT, and DOC have opposed the Ligado Order. The letters request that President Trump and Congress “work together with the FCC to grant the petitions for reconsideration and set aside the Order”. 

On April 23, President Trump issued an executive order, “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs for the Future” that directs the federal government to overhaul and realign its workforce development programs to support the Administration’s broader goals of American reindustrialization, economic growth, and labor empowerment. It also prioritizes equipping U.S. workers with the skills needed for high-demand, well-paying jobs, especially in emerging and industrial sectors. Not all of it applies to aspiring surveying professionals or technicians, but there are some aspects that could be helpful to the profession. 

On May 1, President Trump released his first version of his budget priorities for FY2026 as to discretionary funding. The president is proposing base non-defense discretionary budget authority $163 billion — 22.6% below current-year spending, while still protecting funding for homeland security, veterans, seniors, law enforcement and infrastructure. The budget proposal does increase defense and homeland security spending. 

On May 16, Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Kevin Mullin (D-CA) finalized the House FY2026 Appropriations letter for “robust funding” for NOAA’s Digital Coast Program which included 11 cosigners. 

On May 16, Reps. Jeff Crank (R-CO) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA) finalized the House FY2026 Appropriations letter for “robust funding” for USGS 3DEP which included 25 cosigners. 

On May 20, H.R. 2250, the National Landslides Preparedness Act, was subject to a hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee. NSPS provided support for the bill to Committee Staff. Section 3 reauthorizes USGS 3DEP for $40 Million through FY2030. 

---

John "JB" Byrd is the federal lobbyist for the National Society of Professional Surveyors.