H B OME UILDERS A SSOCIATION NEWSBRIEF The Official Newsletter of the Home Builders Association of Greater Southwest IL The Voice of the Homebuilding and Remodeling Industries in Southwest Illinois. Representing Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair Counties April 2016 issue www.hbaswi l .org 2016 NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE HBA Leadership met with Congressman Shimkus & Bost to keep the Home Building industry issues on the top of their priorities. We work hard, take risks and get the job done. We are engaged in our communities, giving back day after day, year after year. We create jobs and build the homes that are the foundation of American family life. Housing drives our nation’s economy. Our industry contributes to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through private residential investment and spending on housing services, representing roughly 17% of GDP in a typical year. Roughly 3.5 million people – including those who are self-employed – worked in residential construction and remodeling last year. Left to right: Norm Etling; The Village of Shiloh, Congressman John Shimkus, Jeff Schmidt; RLP Development, Tracy Butler; HBA Executive Officer; Mark Fulford; Fulford Construction, Congressman Mike Bost, Kevin Wrigley; LW Contractors, Chuck Daily; Providence Bank, Joe Lanahan; Joe Lanahan Construction Services, Inc., Mark Vogt; Vogt Vogt Builders, Inc., David Padgett; Padgett Building & Remodeling Co., Inc. Reduce burdensome regulations. Most home building and remodeling companies are small businesses. We are saddled with a disproportionate share of costs associated with excessive – and often unnecessary – regulations. regulations at all levels of government account for 25% of the cost of a new single-family home. Lead Paint rule “opt-out” language was further discussed with a strong request to put this disclosure into the rule. Adopt sensible workforce development and immigration policy. Properly conceived, immigration reform will help our industry fill open jobs, boosting our nation’s economy. We asked for their support of HR1147, the Legal Workforce Act, which implements E-Verify nationwide. Address soaring health costs. Enable small businesses to help employees with healthcare costs through the use of Health Reimbursement Arrangements. We asked for their support to Co-sponsor the Small Business Healthcare Relieft Act (HS2911/S1697) which will allow small businesses to continue to offer standalone HRAs to their employees for the payment of healthcare insurance premiums or qualified medical expenses. Without a healthy housing market, the economy can’t flourish. The issues that are important to home builders, remodelers and others in our industry are the same issues that are key to a thriving economy. We’re asking the nation’s lawmakers to: Promote energy efficiency. We need the freedom and flexibility to build energy-efficient homes in the most costeffective way we can. Personal experiences with the Illinois Energy Efficiency Law in place were shared to give real life experiences on these requirements that have been more costly than efficient. Protect middle class tax breaks. The mortgage interest deduction is a key to the financial well-being of the middle class. We also need tax credits to encourage production of housing for less fortunate families. We asked for support of housing’s role in the economy. Eliminating or scaling back these vital housing incentives will also shrink the local tax bade of many communities, causing already cash-strapped state and local government to further cut jobs and essential services. Enact housing finance reform. The nation needs a federal backstop that provides for a reliable and adequate flow of affordable housing credit in all economic and financial conditions.
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