Page 18 - Builder Brief July 2023 Issue

LEGISLATIVE
RECENT FEDERAL & STATE ADVOCACY EFFORTS YIELD POSITIVE RESULTS
U.S. House and Senate Lawmakers Unveil NAHB-Supported Transformer Bill
At NAHB’s urging, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) have introduced identical House and Senate bills — Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act — that would delay for five years any rulemaking on energy-efficiency standards for distribution transformers.
“At a time when the home building industry is facing a severe shortage of distribution transformers, NAHB commends Rep. Hudson and Sen. Barrasso for introducing this important legislation,” said NAHB Chairman Alicia Huey. “This vital measure will provide needed time to boost output at existing facilities to address the growing supply chain crisis for transformers that has delayed home construction projects across the country and aggravated the nation’s housing affordability crisis.”
This was one of the key issues during the recent NAHB Legislative Conference when more than 700 NAHB members discussed vital matters of concern to the housing industry with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
The Department of Energy has proposed to increase the energy conservation standards for the production of distribution transformers and NAHB has been working diligently with House and Senate lawmakers to oppose this plan because it will exacerbate an already acute supply-chain shortage.
NAHB continues to work with both chambers of Congress to seek additional funding aimed solely at boosting production of distribution transformers to meet market demand.
U.S. House Approves REINS Act to Limit Executive Overreach
In an important victory for NAHB and common-sense regulatory reform, on June 14th, the House approved the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2023.
This legislation would restore meaningful congressional oversight to regulatory rulemaking by requiring Congress to approve all federal agency regulations that have an annual economic impact of $100 million or more.
Prior to the House vote, NAHB sent a letter to House lawmakers urging support for this bill and deemed it a “key vote” because of its importance to the housing industry.
Without meaningful congressional oversight, poorly crafted rules often go into place and businesses are forced to divert precious resources to lengthy and uncertain legal challenges.
Under the REINS Act, if a federal agency proposes a major regulation, it would need to be approved by both the House and Senate before going into effect.
The bill would also grant Congress the authority to disapprove a “non-major rule” (defined as a regulation that would result in an annual effect on the economy of less than $100 million) through a joint resolution.
NAHB believes that placing more decision-making in the hands of Congress on major regulatory rules that impact millions of Americans and countless small businesses will reduce regulatory overreach by federal agencies. We will urge the Senate to introduce and advance companion legislation.
Texas 88th Legislative Session Recap
The Texas Association of Builders' Government Relations Committee debated and approved TAB's positions on the myriad of hotbed issues facing the Texas homebuilding and land development industry. That blueprint gave the TAB government relations team clear direction and guidance to form and implement an effective strategy.
TAB achieved success relating to residential construction tort reform, building and energy codes, land development inspections and regulations, municipal oversight and other issues directly affect the cost of homebuilding.
Most notably, HB 2022 makes the first substantive changes to the Texas Residential Construction Liability Act (RCLA) in 20 years and HB 2024 lowers the Texas Statute of Repose for residential construction defects from 10 to 6 years if the builder provides a written warranty to the homeowner.
These wins will help keep homes affordable and your businesses profitable.
18 JULY 2023 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION