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by Tom Slater, State Membership Chairman, Timberland Lumber Co. What would the building industry be like nationally and in Indiana if the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Indiana Builders Association (IBA) were never founded or ceased to exist today? NAHB was founded in 1942 with the goal of providing and expanding opportunities for all consumers to have safe, decent and affordable housing. Since its founding, NAHB has become "The Voice of America's Housing Industry." NAHB promotes policies that keep housing a national priority. The association represents the industry's interests on Capitol Hill daily and strives to ensure that housing remains a national priority when laws are made and policies are established. Nearly 1,000 housing industry leaders will attend the national Legislative Conference and Spring Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C. These delegates will represent the industry and discuss legislative issues that affect safe and affordable housing throughout the nation and in their respective states with their Senators and Congressmen. Since it's founding, NAHB's federation has grown to more than 800 state and local associations with a membership of 225,000 with a professional staff of more than 300 in Washington working for safe and affordable housing. The breakdown of the national membership of 225,000 is about one-third home builders and/or remodelers with the remaining members being associates, who work in closely related fields within the housing industry. More than 2,800 members serve on the association's NAHB Board of Directors. This Board elects the senior officers and establishes the association's agenda. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of legislative actions taken by NAHB over the years that benefit association members at all levels. NAHB has been successful in getting the duties on Mexican cement reduced from $26 per ton to $3 per ton, and the duties on Canadian softwood lumber reduced from 27 percent to 10 percent. These two examples alone reflect the incredible cost savings that occurs daily to maintain affordable housing. The NAHB was also successful in lobbying eight Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee to sign a letter to the Bush Administration urging the President to preserve the deductions for mortgage interest, state and local taxes and home equity loans. The eight Republicans, along with all of the Democrats on the committee, made up a majority of the committee. This is an election year and it is essential that we keep pro-housing representatives in Congress and the Senate to help NAHB members maintain safe and affordable housing. You can help protect the housing industry by voting and supporting Build-PAC, the national political action committee that supports representatives that are pro-housing and pro-business. Your IBA became a charter member of NAHB in 1952, under the leadership of officers President Andrew S. Place, First Vice-President Gale C. Corley, Secretary Ralph L. Shirmeyer, Treasurer Louis Hershberger, and Executive Officer Joseph W. Van Briggle. Since 1953, IBA has grown to a membership of nearly 7,000. The membership consists of home builders, remodelers, and associate members working together and supporting safe and affordable housing for the citizens of Indiana. Indiana has a strong voice at the Indiana State House and also on Capitol Hill. This is thanks to the incredible efforts of many housing leaders and IBA's lobbyists over the years. Under the direction of IBA's current Chief Executive Officer Rick Wajda, IBA's governmental affairs efforts will continue to protect housing affordability within the state. IBA'S legislative accomplishments for the housing industry are numerous. Just this session, IBA was successful in lobbying the legislature to pass the Model Home Act, which provides a 50 percent property tax deduction on the structure of a model or speculative home built in Indiana. IBA caused enactment of legislation creating a statewide single family building code which established one standard statewide, thereby enabling builders to operate at greater efficiency and to compete with other builders under the same rule. Indiana was the first state in the nation to do this. IBA caused enactment of a state law referred to as the "Right to Cure" law. IBA assisted with passing legislation which allows land developers to claim exemption from state sales and use taxes for materials integrated into streets, sewers, and storm drains. IBA sponsored and passed legislation that enlarged the Indiana Department of Fire and Building Services to include appointees from within our industry, thereby giving the industry a state-level voice on the Commission that promulgates Indiana's building codes. These are only a few of the hundreds of accomplishments to maintain housing affordability that have taken place under the direction of the Indiana Builders Association. Your IBA and NAHB also provide educational opportunities, publications that keep members abreast of the latest industry happenings, networking opportunities, and a host of other member benefits. Visit the associations' websites at www.buildindiana.org and www.nahb.org for more details.
I'm personally grateful to the founders of NAHB and
IBA for foreseeing the need of this association to protect safe and
affordable housing - an industry that we all depend on for our
livelihoods. |
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