GHBA members at NAHB LegCon 2017

GHBA Does Washington: Representing homebuilding interests at the national level

Bo ButlerAdvocacy, Featured, Member News, President's Message

GHBA members at NAHB LegCon 2017

Meeting with Congressman John Culberson. (L to R) Bradley Pepper, Eddie Martin, Adam Aschmann, Casey Morgan, Sanford Steinberg, Bo Butler, Mike Dishberger, Congressman John Culberson, Don Klein, KC Cox and Barry Kahn

GHBA leadership attended the National Association of Builders (NAHB) Mid-Year Board Meeting and Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. in June, which gave us the opportunity to visit with the Houston area congressional delegation. More importantly, we witnessed first-hand how our national organization supports its members.
Home building is a complex industry with all the regulations, codes, people and products that are used to build a house, not to mention the banks, mortgage companies, real estate agencies, and most importantly, the buyers. Admittedly, I was overwhelmed with all of the different issues each one of these components creates in the home building process.

Organizations like the GHBA, TAB and NAHB are necessary to not only help us build a great product, but also to help us navigate government—whether local, state or national.


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Some of the issues the homebuilding industry faces today include the rising price of softwood lumber and the Department of Energy writing more stringent code requirements that ultimately add to the cost of a home.

The NAHB is closely monitoring both issues as they estimate that 25 percent of the cost of a home is attributable to increased regulations. While in Washington, GHBA members educated our congressional delegation on the local impact of onerous energy codes and high lumber prices.

We also discussed the importance of the upcoming reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. Living in Houston, we are very aware of flooding, and for this reason, maintaining a federal program that provides affordable flood insurance is critical. As Congress debates the future of the flood insurance program, we asked our elected officials to consider the importance of home affordability and ways to mitigate flooding locally.

As a Texan and native Houstonian, I just want to express how proud I am to have the GHBA, TAB and NAHB representing our interests and concerns. I also want to express my appreciation to the GHBA members who devote their time and resources to serve as TAB and NAHB directors.

 

About the Author

Bo Butler

2017 GHBA Board President Bo Butler is a local home builder and president of Butler Brothers Construction.

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