Key Talking Points to Prepare for the 2019 Legislative Conference

NAHB recently held a webinar to help members prepare to attend the 2019 Legislative Conference, taking place June 5 during the Spring Leadership Meeting. Housing affordability is currently the Federation’s No. 1 issue, and the Legislative Conference will bring that message to Congress on a number of fronts. "With housing affordability being the umbrella issue, there are so many things that play into the affordability equation for you all to develop, construct, and sell or rent an affordable product to Americans across the country," shared Jim Tobin, NAHB EVP and chief lobbyist. "Whether it’s workforce development, housing finance reform or an affordable National Flood Insurance Program, there are a lot of issues that we are talking about on Capitol Hill — and in turn, Capitol Hill is talking about now." NAHB lobbyists provided talking points and calls to action for six key issues affecting the home-building industry:

• Government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) reform
• National Flood Insurance Program
• Workforce and labor
• Trade and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
• Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
• Building energy codes

Webinar participants engaged in a question-and-answer session for clarity around the following additional points and topics:

• Cluster mailboxes – NAHB has been working with the office of Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) regarding his proposed legislation and will provide targeted talking points on that issue for the conference.
• Contributions in Aid of Construction (part of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act) – NAHB has been working with commissions and utilities on a local level, and other associations that have related concerns, but it is still in an educational phase on Capitol Hill. Those impacted should contact JP Delmore.
• Regulatory reform – NAHB is working to revive the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act and encourages conference attendees to note during their meetings that nearly 25% of the average new home sales price is due to regulatory compliance.

Conference attendees are also invited to a morning briefing at the Hyatt Regency to hear from legislators and NAHB staff on housing-related issues. Presenters will include Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), who will talk about their housing agendas. To learn more about the issues, check out the webinar replay below. [bc_video video_id="6034753925001" account_id="260701690001" player_id="BJMWPKF2" embed="in-page" padding_top="56%" autoplay="" min_width="0px" max_width="640px" mute="" width="100%" height="100%" ]   The webinar replay is also available at nahb.org/legcon. Be sure to register for the Spring Leadership Meeting today.