|
|
RESOURCES: Your membership to the MMBA also links you to membership with the NAHB and BAM. These organizations are available for you to utilize as a reference and an educational resource in many aspects of the Building Industry.
Home Warranty law NAHB: Official website of the NAHB is www.nahb.org Connecting you to the power of the Nation's Building Industry, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is a community of all business sizes, who are fully connected to the power of the nation's building industry. Like you, our members want prosperous businesses to work in and safe affordable homes to live in, and they get what they need from NAHB; the very best information, advocacy, and networking opportunities available. NAHB Priorities1. Protect the Mortgage Interest Deduction
2. Resolve Foreclosure and Appraisal Problems
3. Maintain Federal Support for Housing Finance System
4. Preserve Affordable Downpayments and Mortgages
5. Fight Onerous Regulations that Hurt Home Builders, Remodelers and Consumers
6. Ensure an Adequate Supply of Credit for New Home Production
7. Recognize Housing’s Important Role to the Economy
8. Defend the Low Income Housing Tax Credit
9. Enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform
10. Use All Legal Means Necessary to Protect Property Rights Click here to see HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE NAHB WEBSITE This is a great presentation about their website and the resources that are available to you as a member of Mid-Minnesota Builders Association and NAHB. 
Learn more about how to protect home ownership at: www.ProtectHomeownership.com
WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE April 4, 2013 ========================================================== NUMBER OF IMPROVING HOUSING MARKETS HOLDING STEADY IN APRIL Following seven consecutive months of gains, the list of improving U.S. housing markets remained virtually unchanged in April, with 273 metros on the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI), released today. This total reflects a net reduction of one market since March and again includes entrants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read more... http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?newsID=16176 ---------------------------------------------------------- LOWER OPERATING COSTS MEAN NEW-HOME BUYERS CAN AFFORD MORE HOUSE During New Homes Month in April, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is showing home buyers why they can afford a higher-priced home—if it's new construction. Using data from the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2011 American Housing Survey, NAHB found that buyers can purchase a more expensive newer home and achieve the same annual operating costs as an older, existing home. Read more... http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?newsID=16171
BAM: Official Website of BAM is www.bamn.org The Builders Associtation of Minnesota (BAM) is an organization made up of home builders, remodelers, and related industry professionals who have been working on your behalf for almost 30 years. As a professional organizaton, BAM strives to provide the best services possible for its members. These efforts cover a range of issues and are constantly changing to ensure we are doing the best job that we can. Click here to find out what BAM has to offer Blog of the Builders Association of MinnesotaBAM is BLOGGING. Check out BAM's
MN Builder Blog for the latest information from BAM and the state Capitol.
Check out what's been happening at BAM, the Capitol, and across the state this week. There are just days left in the session, and it's been busy (to say the least)! Week of May 6, 2013
In this issue:
Last Week of Session
We're down the last week of session. Conference Committees are still meeting to resolve the house and senate versions of their bills. The Legislature must adjourn by May 20th. Senator Senjem's language to prohibit a mandate of fire sprinklers in new homes in still in the Senate Omnibus Jobs Bill and has not been taken up by the conference committee members. The Jobs Bill Conference Committee is scheduled to meet next on Monday May 13. If you haven't yet, now is the time to contact your legislators and ask them to put pressure on the 10 jobs bill conferees - especially the House conferees.
BAM President Chad Kompelien at the Capitol A big thank you to Chad Kompelien, BAM President, who was at the Capitol all day Thursday and Friday lobbying members of the Jobs Bill Conference Committee with a letter he wrote in response to a letter submitted to the conferees by the fire service. Chad is all in and fighting as hard as possible on behalf of our 3,000 member companies statewide, the home building industry, and homeowners - and doing a great job of delivering the message that fire sprinklers should not be mandated! Fire Sprinkler Legislative Action Alert
BAM sent a legislative action alert yesterday on the fire sprinkler amendment currently in the senate version of the Jobs Omnibus Bill. If you haven't yet, please call or email your legislators and ask them to tell the Jobs Bill Conferees to support the senate jobs bill language prohibiting a fire sprinkler mandate. Follow this link for instructions. Letter to the Editor Published in Alexandria's Echo Press
Thank you to Vikingland Builders Association in Alexandria for getting a Letter to the Editor printed in the Alex Echo Press!
If your local association hasn't yet, please consider getting a letter to the editor published in your area thanking your local senators for their action and support. A draft letter to the editor can be found here. Ideally, the letter would be submitted to the editor of your local publication(s) by the local president and one of your BAM board members. With just days left in the session, the faster you get this letter to the editor published the more impact it will have.
On the Road Again!
BAM was on the road again this week visiting West Central Builders Association (WCBA) Tuesday in Spicer night and Northern Minnesota Builders Association (NMBA) Thursday night in Grand Rapids.
Thank you to Nancy Lohn, WCBA Executive Officer and James Gustafson, of Gustafson Construction of Pennock, WCBA's President and the WCBA members for hosting BAM EVP Remi Stone and BAM Director of Operations Jenae Palewicz.
Thank you also to NMBA Executive Officer, Carie Olds and NMBA President John Schenck, of Lakes Gas Company, for hosting BAM EVP and BAM Director of Communications Katherine Nielsen at your board meeting, membership meeting and construction season kick off party! We had a great time and look forward to seeing you again soon!
Photographic evidence here
Be sure to LIKE BAM to see the fun happening across the state
BAM Member Rebate Program
Another benefits of BAM membership is the Member Rebate Program, only available to members. Get money back for qualifying industry product suppliers. If you haven't looked into this, you'll want to be sure you do. This is another way to put money back in your pocket with your builders association membership. Check it out here.
Check out other BAM membership benefits here.
Capitol Building at Capacity Thursday for Marriage Equality Vote
The Minnesota House passed the long-watched bill to legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday afternoon by a 75-59 vote that followed three hours of floor debate. House Session Daily Report
The margin of passage surprised many observers, a number of whom believed the bill, authored by Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, would attract at most one or two GOP votes. But following a floor amendment offered by Rep. David FitzSimmons, R-Albertville, that modified the bill's language to refer to "civil marriage," the measure won four Republican votes: FitzSimmons plus Reps. Pat Garofalo, Andrea Kieffer and Jenifer Loon. Read more Second GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Announces
Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson hosted a rally Sunday May 5th to announce that's he's running as a Republican candidate for governor in the 2014 election. In contrast to Johnson's only Republican competitor, Scott Honour announced his candidacy with a series of media interviews. Johnson, 46, a former legislator from Plymouth, said he wasn't drawing any distinctions between him and Honour and said he expects the Republican field to widen. Read more
MPCA to Replace Stormwater Manual with Online Version
For those that reference the stormwater manual, it is now available online. Currently the manual is 850 pages long which precipitated the switch to a wiki platform. More information available here.
www.nahbgreen.org START BUILDING GREEN WITH RESOURCES FROM NAHBGreen
Independent Contractors Exemption Certificate (ICEC) : The following links will take you to the correct places to apply for the (ICEC) if you are a Sole Proprietor, you must have one by January 1, 2009. BAM White Paper: http://bamn.org/Documents/ICWhitePaper.pdf Who must file for the ICC: http://bamn.org/Documents/ICAffectedTrades.pdf
|
