With June upon us and the beginning of summer, activities are heating up at NAHB and OSHBA.
Todd Booze
This week is the Spring NAHB Board meeting and I want to thank our delegation in attendance: Brandon Perkins, Phil Rhees, Paul Kane, Tony Foust and Connie Stokes.
Often it is easy to slip back and believe the only issues that affect our industry are at the local political level.
However, that is the far from reality and I wanted to bring a few concerns to your attention NAHB is working on at the national level that could have a tremendous impact on our industry:
— Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2014
There has been much debate about the government's role in the secondary mortgage markets. This legislation will attempt to fix the nation's flawed housing finance system and breathe new life into the housing sector by providing a consistent and affordable supply of mortgage credit for single-family housing. Senate Bill 1217 would expedite the housing recovery and allow countless credit-worthy buyers who are currently unable to access mortgage credit to obtain home loans. This would prove particularly helpful to first-time homebuyers and younger households, who have been disproportionally hurt by today's tight credit environment.
--The EPA and Corps of Engineers
These two have overstepped their boundaries by certifying proposed rules under the Clean Water Act that would affect virtually every landowner and add burdensome requirements and cost to gain approval to use their land for anything other than agricultural purposes. These rules will increase federal regulatory power over private property and will lead to increased litigation, permit requirements and delays for businesses trying to comply. Worst yet, these changes have no documented improvement to water quality and encompass water features that are already regulated at the state level. So while Washington, D.C., is thousands of miles away, these types of overly burdensome regulation can have detrimental impacts to us here in Oklahoma. This again reinforces the value of your membership in the Homebuilders Association and our NAHB staff continuously works to stop legislation that could affect our industry.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, OSHBA is in the final stages of planning for this year's statewide Building Summit. We have a tremendous slate of speakers set and topics to be covered at this year's all-day event, and I promise this summit to be the best yet in providing you information and education to stay ahead of issues that affect our industry.
Go to OKBuildingSummit.com to register (LINK), for more information about speakers and educational topics at this year's Building Summit. Early registration has begun for the Sept. 11th event.
OSHBA 2014 President Todd Booze
