Well the 2016 Legislative session has ended and the scorecards are coming out. Most of the ones I have seen rate the session as a C. When I was in school I did not like to see a C, I wanted A's and B's. I am sure most legislators would agree.
What made it a C in the "experts" opinion were many - lack of transparency in the budget process, lack of reform, robbing reserves from non-appropriated agencies and the use of one-time money to close the gaps. That is quite the list and I can't really disagree. One of the agencies I watch in particular, the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission, lost $800,000 of its reserves. That means the plans to educate inspectors just got put on hold. Just what we need, right, inspectors that don't know the codes.
Of course, as an association we might rate the session a little lower. The legislature decided to kill a tax credit that allowed builders to build high-performance energy efficient homes for first-time or lower income buyers. The credit was limited to smaller homes and is one of the few credits that was third-party verified. The only good news is we were able to move the sunset date from January 1, 2016 to July 1, 2016.
Some say the legislatiure should have taken more time, even go into a special session. That really wasn't a possiblity. The legislature had to balance the budget and get out of town in time for primaries!
Speaking of primaries, our Homebuilders PAC board met and made some endorsements. They will be sent via email to members with the upcoming President's Monthly Message.
Be sure to vote on June 28!
