Lawmakers Will Help Prep Members for NAHB's Legislative Conference

Two lawmakers will help brief NAHB members before they go to Capitol Hill on the morning of June 12 for the 2024 Legislative Conference.

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) will speak to NAHB members at 7:15 a.m. at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., and he will be followed by Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who will address members at 7:30 a.m. before they depart for their Hill visits.

During their Hill meetings, members will urge policymakers to act on crucial housing affordability issues impacting the home building industry.

To help prepare for the meetings, NAHB encourages members to watch three videos that outline the main messages to convey to lawmakers. The video playlist, which includes a recording of the issues briefing webinar held on May 16, is posted on the Legislative Conference page on nahb.org.

Energy Codes

Heather Voorman, AVP Government Affairs, discusses the policy implemented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture where the agencies will insure mortgages for new homes only if they are constructed to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which will raise the cost of new homes.

NAHB members should ask lawmakers to include a provision in the fiscal year 2025 THUD appropriations bill that will prevent HUD from using federal funds to implement this rule.

Transformers

NAHB Senior Legislative Director Alex Strong outlines the actions Congress should take to help ease distribution transformer delays. Electrical distribution transformer lead times, shortages and escalating costs continue to slow or halt home construction projects across the country.

To help ease distribution transformer delays, NAHB members are encouraged to share stories of project delays with their members of Congress. In addition, members can urge lawmakers to provide additional funding in the fiscal 2025 appropriations process specifically targeted at boosting the domestic manufacturing capacity to produce sorely needed distribution transformers.

Workforce Development

NAHB Legislative Director Sam Gilboard provides insights on how Congress can help ease the chronic workforce shortage worsening the housing affordability crisis through higher home building costs and construction delays.

During the Legislative Conference, NAHB members should urge lawmakers to invest the necessary resources to develop America’s construction workforce by keeping Job Corps — which is a vital source of skilled labor for the housing industry — fully funded at $1.76 billion in the fiscal year 2025 Labor-HHS appropriations bill.

For more information about each legislative conference issue, view NAHB’s 2024 Legislative Priorities brochure.

Schedule for June 12 Legislative Conference

After a day of Capitol Hill office visits and meetings, the NAHB Legislative Conference will conclude with an evening reception at the Marriott Marquis.