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This Month on Capitol Hill:
Housing Debate at Critical Point, Suppliers Step Up :
NLBMDA and allies continue to
urge Congress to focus on legislation to help the housing market, and the
thousands of businesses who depend on a strong housing industry. House
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has pledged to work with the Senate to
pass final legislation before the July 4th recess. Just before Memorial Day,
the Senate Banking Committee reached agreement on Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac
reform and FHA expansion, speeding the way towards conference with the House
to reconcile their housing measures. One of the major sticking points of the
legislation has been funding for the FHA expansion effort that would allow
at-risk borrowers to refinance into FHA-insured loans, with the
Administration and some conservative Republicans objecting to public funding.
The House-passed “Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act” (HR 3221)
would cost $300 billion and divert funds from Fannie/Freddie to affordable
housing in the Hurricane Katrina region. The Senate version would ! use money
from the affordable housing trust fund to pay for the refinanced mortgages.
It would also create a new federal regulator for Fannie and Freddie to
improve mortgage market oversight, in an attempt to win Administration
support for the package. The House bill omits net operating loss carryback
provisions, supported by NLBMDA,
that were included in an earlier Senate bill.
NLBMDA has joined the Suppliers
for Housing Group, chaired by ProBuild, Inc., to further advocate for this
critical legislation to revive the housing industry. The Suppliers for
Housing Group was formed by several large suppliers and manufacturers to
counter claims that the Housing Rescue Act is a “bail-out for big builders”
and seeks to highlight the many jobs in the housing supply chain that are at
stake. Visit the newly-launched website, www.SuppliersforHousing.org ,
to view their recent print and radio ads and learn more.
ACTION ALERT – TELL CONGRESS TO SUPPORT HOUSING SUPPLIERS : Go to www.BuildtheVote.org
today to send a message urging your legislators to support housing rescue
legislation. You can also call your legislators by calling the Capitol
Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak to the legislative assistant for
housing issues, describe your company and ask their support for comprehensive
housing assistance legislation. Please send any feedback to Colleen Levine at colleen@dealer.org.
Talking Points :
Please support companies like mine that rely on the housing industry by
passing legislation that does the following:
- Reforms mortgage
oversight through reform of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac;
- Prevents foreclosures
and increase the availability of credit by modernizing the Federal
Housing Administration (FHA);
- Provides favorable
net-operating loss carryback treatment to protect jobs in companies most
impacted by the downturn; and
- Creates new homebuyer
tax credits to help spur purchases and put the industry and the economy
back on track.
Also on Capitol Hill: Global Warming and Consumer Protection
In spite of those who say Congress will accomplish little in such a heated
election year, the Democratic leadership has an ambitious agenda for the
month of June. Both Chambers must reconcile the Consumer Product Safety
Commission overhaul legislation passed earlier this spring. The House will
debate a budget resolution and supplemental war spending, while the Senate is
debating global warming on the floor this week. The Lieberman-Warner “Climate
Security Act” (S.3036) aims to drastically reduce total U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions by 63 percent below their 2005 levels by the year
2050. While NLBMDA does not have
an official position on S.3036, many other business groups are opposing this
legislation out of concern about the potential impact on employment. The
below websites provide additional information if you would like to learn more
about the issue:
Softwood Imports at Issue in Farm Bill Softwood Import Changes
Last-Minute Addition to Farm Bill : In the final days of conference
committee negotiations on the Farm Bill, Senators Baucus (D-MT) and Chambliss
(R-GA) inserted a provision to create a new reporting requirement for
importers of Canadian softwood lumber – which would add unnecessary paperwork,
cost and delay for dealers to obtain products. NLBMDA,
NAHB and the Canadian Embassy lodged objections with House and Senate
Republican leadership, but unfortunately were unable to block the provision
as it was attached to foreign aid programs. NLBMDA
joined with consumer allies to send a letter to the Hill highlighting our
concerns with the provision and its insertion without any opportunity for
review. We are now working to ensure Customs considers the impact on lumber
dealers and consumers when drafting their interim rulemaking. This was also a
topic of discussion at a May 29 meeting with representatives of the Forest
Products Association of Canada, to which NLBMDA
lobbyist Colleen Levine was
invited to provide insigh! ts into the continued interest in this issue on
Capitol Hill despite the 2006 signing of the Softwood Lumber Agreement.
If you directly import softwood lumber from Canada,
please contact Colleen Levine at
colleen@dealer.org.
Advocacy Corner: Innocent Sellers Summer Campaign Seeks Volunteers:
NLBMDA’s dealer advocates
made significant progress in building support for the industry’s priority
Innocent Sellers Fairness Act (HR 989) during the spring Legislative
Conference. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle still need to hear
from dealers about the importance of preventing abusive and frivolous
lawsuits. The August recess, when members of Congress spend a full month in
their home districts, is an ideal time to catch up with your legislator and
seek their support. If you are interested in helping reach out to fellow
dealers to grow our grassroots network, please consider volunteering as an
Innocent Sellers Team Captain. A conference call will be held in early July
to discuss plans for the August outreach campaign. Please contact Colleen Levine at colleen@dealer.org to sign up or learn
more.
ISSUES IN BRIEF
Green
Building
- USGBC Seeks LEED Feedback : The US Green Building Council (USGBC)
is conducting a review of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) program to streamline project execution, documentation and
certification. “LEED 2009” is available on the USGBC website for review and
comment. LEED for Homes is also open for another round of public review.
However, response to past criticism from NLBMDA
and others regarding the awarding of credits only for FSC-certified wood
products has been deferred pending the completion of research by the USGBC
Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group and the Yale School of Forestry.
Once that research is completed, USGBC will issue certification
recommendations and open them for public comment.
To review and comment on LEED 2009 and LEED for Homes, visit the links
below.
S Corp Modernization : Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the “S Corporation Modernization Act”
(S.3063) on May 22, to increase businesses’ access to capital by reducing
ownership restrictions and modernizing S corp rules that have not been
updated in nearly 50 years. A House version (HR 4840) was introduced in
December.
New Forest Owners Organization Forms : A group of US forest
companies has left the American Forest & Paper Association to form the
National Alliance of Forest Owners. According to a May 1 press release, NAFO
is “dedicated to protecting and enhancing the economic and environmental
values of privately owned forests through targeted policy advocacy.” Policy
positions have not yet been publicized, but the membership roster includes a
number of companies who have also supported the Coalition of Fair Lumber
Imports in its anti-free trade agenda.
Polar Bear Lawsuits Filed : The Governor of Alaska
May 20 announced that the state will file suit against the US Department of
the Interior over the decision to list the polar bear as a threatened
species. The listing was the first conducted on the basis of climate change
as a threat to survival. Separately, lawyers who conducted the
highly-profitable suits against the tobacco industry have now filed suit on
behalf of a coastal Alaskan village claiming that the oil and electric
industries’ emissions are responsible for coastal erosion that is threatening
the village.
REGULATORY
CORNER REPORT
NLBMDA has filed comments on
behalf of the building supply industry urging the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) to take a closer look at the potential impact
of its proposed driver training rule on small businesses and those who rely
on CDL drivers only for short haul trips. NLBMDA
was one of hundreds of organizations who weighed in with concerns about the
proposed rule; the Small Business Administration also filed comments in
response to NLBMDA and other
groups’ concerns. For more information, contact Colleen
Levine at colleen@dealer.org
, or visit www.dealer.org to download NLBMDA’s comments.
Volunteers Needed for OSHA Task Force : NLBMDA is seeking volunteers for the newly-formed
OSHA Task Force, to be charged with renewing our past OSHA Alliance
partnership and identifying ways to improve safety and compliance information
available to dealers. To volunteer yourself or another person from your
company to serve on the Task Force, please contact Frank Moore at fmoore@smithbucklin.com .
LuDAC
POLITICAL CORNER
Before the polls had closed in the final presidential primaries Tuesday,
June 2, the AP announced that Sen. Barack Obama had clinched enough delegates
to be the Democratic nominee. The summer will be sure to bring heated debates
as Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain face off. Stay tuned for detailed
analysis of their positions on key industry issues in future issues of the Advocate
. Down the ballot, there are still 435 Congressional races and 34 Senate
races to remember – visit www.BuildtheVote.org
to learn about your local candidates and see which races have earned LuDPAC
endorsements.
Support Your Industry : LuDPAC, the political action fund
of the NLBMDA, has raised over
$25,000 in 2008. However, LuDPAC still needs your help! In 2008, many
candidates who support NLBMDA’s
Innocent Sellers legislation are in danger of losing their seats. With
your help, LuDPAC can provide more targeted financial assistance to help
ensure we elect a Congress in November that is willing to work with us to
help our industry survive in today’s challenging economy. If you
haven’t done so already, send your contribution to LuDPAC today!
The Innocent Sellers Fund (ISF) is another great way for dealers to
support NLBMDA’s government
relations efforts. ISF is not a political action committee, therefore
corporate contributions may be made. Your assistance will help provide
needed funds that offset the costs of running LuDPAC and NLBMDA’s other advocacy efforts. A pledge
form is available on the NLBMDA
website at: http://www.dealer.org/docs/ISFA%20Pledge%20Form%20revised.pdf
. Mail your contribution today! For more information, contact Stacey
Moye at stacey@dealer.org .
ADVOCATE
CORNER
NLBMDA thanks the following
dealers for writing their legislators regarding housing legislation and
Innocent Sellers: Steve Hardin (NC), Al Pyne (NC).
Have you visited with your local member of Congress lately? Be sure
to let NLBMDA know by emailing colleen@dealer.org , and
see your name here!
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