Steel Prices Remain Steep But Falling
According to the Producer Price Index (PPI), for the month of June steel mill products dropped 2.5%. Concrete products and asphalt dropped just 0.2%, while lumber prices rose 2.5%.

For more information contact Craig Schultz at cschulz@cement.org.

House Passes OSHA Reform Package
With the support of the nation’s home builders, the House on July 12 passed four bills introduced by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) that would enhance worker safety, advance housing affordability and improve the enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) many rules and regulations among small business owners.

“The legislative package approved by the House will make regulatory compliance more cost-effective and make OSHA more user friendly for small businesses, while improving housing affordability and continuing to protect the safety of workers in the home building industry,” said NAHB President David Wilson.

Of particular note to home builders are H.R. 739, the “Occupational Safety and Health Small Business Day in Court Act,” and H.R. 742, the “Occupational Safety and Health Small Employer Access to Justice Act.” The first bill would allow OSHA to give businesses more than 15 days to respond to a citation; the second would make it easier for companies to recover attorneys’ fees when they successfully defend themselves against a  citation.

H.R. 740, the “Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Efficiency Act,” would add two more administrative law judges to the three-panel Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), which hears appeals of violations. At its current size, the commission frequently has to delay hearings because it lacks a quorum. The bill is intended to remedy this situation.

H.R. 741, the “Occupational Safety and Health Independent Review of OSHA Citations Act,” would require judges to defer to the OSHRC when OSHA cases are appealed to the courts.

While NAHB supports all four bills, in a letter to all House members prior to consideration of the OSHA reform package, the association identified H.R. 739 and H.R. 742 as “key votes” because of their impact to the housing industry.

“These two measures in particular represent common-sense improvements that would remove some of the most frequently cited obstacles to our members’ ability to respond to OSHA following a citation,” said Wilson.

“The overall legislative package will advance job safety while helping our small business employers who are so often intimidated and confused by the OSHA inspection and citation process,” he added.

Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) have committed to introducing companion reform measures in the Senate later this year.

To read the legislation, click here and enter the bill number in the box at the upper left.

For more information, e-mail Michael Strauss at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8252. [return to top]

Home Builders Applaud Junk-Fax Prevention Act
Associations and businesses of all kinds breathed a collective sigh of relief as Congress successfully approved the “Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005,” a bill that injects some commonsense into onerous Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules aimed at preventing unwanted faxes. Passed just in time to pre-empt the FCC regulations’ July 1 effective date, the bill is currently awaiting President Bush’s signature.

However, recognizing that the legislation will likely become law very soon, the FCC has now issued a stay delaying implementation of its rules until January 9, 2006, meaning that home builders associations, NAHB members and others do not need to worry about incurring an infraction while the bill sits on the President’s desk.

Due to its tremendous significance to the day-to-day communications of our members and affiliates, NAHB was heavily engaged in getting this legislation through Congress. In addition to lobbying on Capitol Hill, NAHB conducted a grassroots letter writing campaign, worked with a range of coalition partners, and successfully petitioned the FCC for delayed implementation of its rules.

Here’s what you need to know to stay in compliance with the new law:

• All business faxes should include a chance for recipients to opt out of further communications. This opportunity must be clearly spelled out on the first page of each fax, including a phone and fax number for recipients to use; at least one cost-free method of response must be available 24 hours a day.

• The sender may only use fax numbers obtained through a business relationship with the recipient or from a Web site, directory or advertisement where the recipient clearly intended to make the information available. (Fax numbers in the senders’ possession prior to enactment of the legislation are exempted.)

For more information, contact Allen Segal at NAHB at 800-368-5242 x8570 or Andrew Holliday at x8305. [return to top]

Urban Land Institute Cites Specific Benefits to Green Development
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) sponsored a “Developing Green” conference this summer that explored the latest trends in green buildings. Reduced energy costs topped the list of benefits: green building features can add $3-$4 per square foot (approximately 2% above normal construction costs), but energy costs are cut by one-third. According to a study by the National Resources Defense Council, green buildings have been found to increase worker productivity by 7%.

To read the full article at www.buildfings.com click here. [return to top]

NCBC Fall Board Grows Near
By now you've already marked your calendar and made your reservations. Be sure to clear your afternoon schedule on Thursday, Sept. 8. That's when NCBC will be hosting its trustee and subcommittee meetings.

If you need any assistance during your stay, NCBC Headquarters will be open on Friday, all day Saturday, and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. until noon. For questions about the NCBC portion of the program posted below, please contact Carmel Nayman at 800-368-5242 x8410.

Note: NAHB  programs appear in italics.

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Fall Issue of Commercial Builder Coming Soon
It's hard to believe another summer is nearly behind us and the fall issue of Commercial Builder is just around the corner.

In this issue, we talk with associate member Al Smith, of Metwood Building Solutions, about his successes as vice president of marketing for this innovative supplier. We also take a closer look at the challenges of complying with ADA and FHA fair housing requirements on mixed use projects that include multifamily housing, just as the Department of Justice prepares to update its ADA guidelines for the first time in 15 years. Learn what the implications may be for commercial builders.

If building safety is on your list of concerns, tune in to learn about new innovations in fire safety, wiring, and UL labeling. Finally, our product feature in this issue focuses on advanced thermal and moisture protection.

We're always looking form commercial builders to write for CB. If you're interested in sharing your experiences with your peers, contact Jill Pivovarov at NAHB at 800-368-5242 x8455. [return to top]

Community Service Award to Honor Builders ― Enter Now
NAHB invites builders to submit entries for a new community service award that will recognize members for their generous philanthropic work. The National Housing Endowment Builder Achievement Award for Outstanding Community Service will honor builders who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to bettering their communities and promoting the spirit of giving that is so prevalent in the home building industry.

The award, to be presented annually beginning with the 2006 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla., will honor eight winners, including Gold, Silver, Bronze and five honorable mentions. Winners will receive a donation to the charity of their choice: $10,000 for Gold; $5,000 for Silver; $2,500 for Bronze; and $1,000 each to the honorable mentions.

Award Qualifications

To be considered for the award, the community service project should be completed before Nov. 18. In addition, the project:

• Must meet a defined and demonstrated community need
• Succeed in motivating other NAHB members and/or company staff to participate
• Be a project that can be replicated by other builders

The complete award description and entry form is available on the NAHB Web site by clicking here. Entries should be received by Nov. 18.

For more information, e-mail Niki Clark at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8061. [return to top]

Colin Powell Keynote Speaker at Builders' Show
 

Colin Powell

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) will be the keynote speaker at the grand opening ceremonies of the 2006 International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando, Fla.

Online registration and housing for the 2006 International Builders’ Show are open, with the best housing options for the show just a few clicks away. To register and make your hotel reservations online, go to the IBS Web site: www.BuildersShow.com.

Take Advantage of More Hotel Options by Registering Early

By registering and making your hotel reservations now, you will be able to find the hotel and block of rooms you want for your fellow members from your state.

Who Should Attend?

Just about everyone involved in the industry will benefit by coming to IBS. “Our entire company, 10 people, came,” said Stacy Thomas, a designer with Environs Development, which specializes in the design and construction of classic single-family homes and townhomes in Chicago. The International Builders’ Show is the one place we can see everything — and get our hands on everything. We need that.”

More than 100,000 industry professionals — single-family home builders, multifamily builders and developers, commercial builders, remodelers, architects, engineers, Realtors®, subcontractors, land developers and more — attended IBS last year.

Discounted Registration Fees Available

First-time attendees who are NAHB members can register for the deeply discounted first-time attendee rate of $100.

Returning NAHB members who sign up for full registration before Oct. 14 ― which includes access to the educational sessions and exhibits for all four days of the show — will get a $25 early-bird discount.

And spouses have the best deal of all. Registration for them is free when traveling to IBS with their spouse.

Paul and Cynthia Peaveyhouse, of Peavyhouse Construction Services based in Erwin, Tenn., were first-time attendees at IBS last year and plan to go back again. “I understand why people say that this is the place to see all the new products, innovations and ideas,” Peavyhouse said. “After the show, we were eager to go back to our local distributors and tell them about what we’ve found that we think is really exciting. We’ll definitely be back again.”

For more information or to register and secure your hotel rooms, go to www.BuildersShow.com. [return to top]

Awesome Member Resource Also Means Revenue for Your HBA

With Williams Scotsman, NAHB Members will receive one month of free rent (up to $500) for each mobile office, storage container and/or specialty trailer leased for six months or longer. And Williams Scotsman is also part of the 50/50 revenue sharing program for participating associations.   Now THAT is awesome.               Mobile Offices                                                     Permanent Modular Buildings         Sales Centers                                                   Storage Containers Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., Williams Scotsman, Inc. is the leading national provider of mobile and modular building solutions for the construction, education, commercial, healthcare and government markets. With more than 25,000 customers, a fleet of nearly 100,000 mobile office and storage units are leased through a network of more than 90 locations throughout North America . For details on this program and all of the other great NAHB member benefits, visit  www.nahb.org/ma. Williams Scotsman is saving money for members and making money for Associations around the country. Make sure you’re getting the most from this corporate supporter of our industry.  Put the Member Advantage link on your Association’s home page. And sign up for revenue sharing at www.nahb.org/matoolkit . Link your members to Williams Scotsman and all of the other Member Advantage companies. Select and copy one of these GIF images (60 to 160 pixels high) to create a button or banner on your Association's home page. For tracking purposes, use the following link: http://www.nahb.org/ma

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