| July 14, 2008 |
By Sandy Dunn
NAHB President and
Jerry Howard
NAHB Executive VP and CEO |
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Senate passage of housing stimulus legislation appears imminent
after several delays precipitated primarily by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) as he continues to object to any agreement to move the bill faster.
 The Senator's attempts to stall the legislation, stemming from his desire to include renewable energy tax credits, have required the Senate to follow complex rules that essentially added two 30-hour periods for debate of the bill upon lawmakers' return from their July 4 recess. As of presstime for this report, NAHB was hopeful that Senate approval would occur late on July 11 or else early in the week of July 14. At that point, the bill will be sent back to the House for its approval, where changes will certainly be made and the timetable to work on these remains unclear. Following the House's action, the bill gets kicked back to the Senate for further consideration. All of which means... we are close to the goal line, but not there yet. In the meantime, NAHB continues to lobby for several amendments to be included in the final cut of the bill – particularly a change to make the first-time home buyer tax credit (currently set at $8,000) effective for a full year starting on the date of enactment. Stay tuned to NBN Online and this report for the latest on this crucial legislation for our industry.
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The 2009 IBS registration system is open for business!
Please join us when the International Builders' Show heads back to Las Vegas on Jan. 20-23, 2009 for an event that continues to grab more headlines and impress more builders with its spectacular offerings every year. Our annual convention is easily one of the biggest and most comprehensive benefits for NAHB members, drawing thousands of exhibitors with the latest products and services geared specifically to housing and light commercial construction and putting them under the same roof with top educational programs designed to help you grow your business. For many attendees, the value of what you learn and save at the IBS is far greater than your annual membership dues. So make your plans early and definitely don't miss out. Visit the all-new www.buildersshow.com site to lock in the best registration rates and choice hotels right now!
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All the news on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
this week prompted NAHB to release an official statement to the media on July 11. In the statement, NAHB CEO Jerry Howard noted that "Fundamental analysis and statements from top federal government officials point out that the hysteria in the markets regarding the viability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is unfounded." He noted that "pundits who have questioned the viability of Fannie and Freddie are not operating on a factual basis, unnecessarily inflaming market fears," and said the fact is that the two housing GSEs "remain a bulwark to the nation's housing finance system and characterizations in the media during the past week serve only to erode the public's confidence in the housing finance system at a critical juncture for the economy." Read Jerry's full statement here.
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"The role of green technologies in spurring economic growth"
 was the topic of a House Small Business Committee hearing in which NAHB representative Andrea Lucke provided the home builder's viewpoint on July 10. Lucke, who is a Cincinnati-area builder and president of the HBA of Greater Cincinnati, urged Congress to extend the New Energy Efficient Home Credit, which was enacted in 2005 and is set to expire at the end of this year. "The nation's home builders have the ability to profoundly affect sustainability and conserve precious natural resources and our environment," Andrea said. She called the tax credit "a key market incentive that shifts builders towards significant energy savings in new home construction." The program offers a $2,000 tax credit to home builders who construct a qualified energy-efficient home, certified to achieve a 50% reduction in energy usage. Not only should the credit be extended, Andrea noted, but for maximum benefit, it should be expanded to cover more of the additional building costs that are incurred in the process of increasing a home's energy efficiency by one-half. She explained that tax credits work because they are market-driven, and that they are a much more effective approach than mandates, which require expensive administrative oversight to enforce. Contact Calli Schmidt, x8132, for more information.
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The Federal Reserve wants to protect future home buyers
 from unfair lending practices with new rules that Chairman Ben Bernanke says will be issued in the coming week. The new rules are meant to reduce the kind of lending activity that precipitated the subprime borrowing mess, and will apply to new loans made by lenders of all types. Among other things, the Fed plans to stop lenders from penalizing risky borrowers who pay off their loans early, and to require that lenders make sure subprime borrowers set aside money to pay for taxes and insurance. Also, banks and others will no longer be able to lend mortgage money without proof of the borrower's income, or without considering the borrower's ability to repay a home loan from sources beyond the value of their home itself. Read more about the Fed's planned actions, as told by Chairman Bernanke during a keynote address at an FDIC Forum on July 8, on MSNBC.com.
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EPA has issued its 2008 Construction General Permit
 just in the nick of time, with the existing permit having expired on July 1. Applicable to discharges of stormwater from “new” construction sites in EPA-authorized states (MA, NH, NM, ID, AK, DC and PR), the permit has only minor changes from the previous version, although NAHB, in its comments on the proposal, said that the agency had missed opportunities to make it easier for builders to comply with the regulation that governs sediment runoff from construction sites. The agency’s current plan is to use the new permit for two years, and then replace it in 2010 with a revised permit that takes into account any requirements of the Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELGs) that are currently being developed. Read more in the last edition of NBN Online. Contact: Ty Asfaw, x8124.
NAHB Member Benefit: NAHB's response to the EPA is part of a larger association effort to educate our members about storm water permit compliance and convince regulators that clearer rules are needed.
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Expert ordinance reviews and technical assistance
 are among the most valuable member benefits that NAHB offers through our state and local HBAs. When builders and developers suddenly face proposed impact fees, impact fee increases, or changes to their city's comprehensive plan or development requirements, they should know that, for a nominal fee, their HBA can request a critical review of the proposal by NAHB's experienced land use policy staff. Our experts can provide detailed written comments that state and local HBAs can use to inform and influence decisions being made by local planning staff and elected officials. They can also offer alternative language and approaches based on their knowledge of national practices and trends. Plus, they can help your HBA craft comments for a hearing, develop effective policy strategies, and access additional resources on a wide variety of land use issues, from affordable housing to zoning.
For the most effective help possible, HBAs should engage NAHB's experts at the beginning of the process, rather than on the eve of a final public hearing on a proposed ordinance. The following staff are here to assist HBAs in these endeavors: Debbie Bassert (Assistant Staff VP) x8443; Ed Tombari (land use planner) x8309; Thais Austin (infrastructure and public finance specialist) x8343.
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NAHB's State & Local Issues Fund has provided crucial support
 to the tune of $150,000 so far this year to seven state and local HBAs to help them address emerging legislative, regulatory and ballot issues. These funds were awarded at State & Local Government Affairs Committee meetings at the IBS and Spring Board of Directors meetings, and/or through the emergency funding process. Examples of recent projects that have received funding as a result of committee action include: the Volusia HBA's battle against a no-growth ballot initiative; the BIA of Philadelphia's efforts to work with the new city administration in amending inclusionary zoning legislation; the North Carolina HBA's battle against a host of local land-transfer campaigns; and the Southern Arizona HBA's dispute of a proposed endangered species listing for the state's pygmy owl population. To date, approximately $147,000 in funds remain available for qualifying applications this year. The deadline for submitting applications for consideration at NAHB's Fall Board of Directors meeting is August 21.
NAHB Member Benefit: Our State & Local Issues Fund provides crucial support to HBAs dealing with legislative, regulatory or ballot issues that are of national significance (i.e., issues that have national implications beyond the HBA's jurisdiction) or that represent a common industry problem whose resolution could be precedent-setting and might not succeed without NAHB's financial support. For more information or a copy of the State & Local Issues Fund application, contact Alex Strong at x8279.
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