Message from Ric Johnson, NAHB State Rep

Message from Ric Johnson,

NAHB State Rep

OHBA Mourns the passing of Norma Jean Slough

Ric Johnson

·In our letter to Biden, builders also called on the White House to address federal regulatory reform to reduce upward pressure on housing costs.

·“Reducing burdensome regulations that account for nearly 25% of the price of building a single-family home and more than 30% of the cost of a typical multifamily development will provide more homeownership and rental housing opportunities for all Americans,” the letter said.

·While we have made some recent inroads with lumber prices beginning to decline in recent weeks and the Commerce Department announcing a reduction in lumber tariffs, much more needs to be done to improve housing affordability in this highinflation environment.

·NAHB is calling on Congress to take the following steps to help ease the housing affordability crisis and to fix supply chain disruptions that are raising construction costs:

• Pass Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-Ark.) No Timber from

Tyrants Act, which would ban lumber imports from Russia and ramp up responsible harvesting of timber from federal lands to create jobs and produce more sustainable wood products.

• Pass the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which would ease building material supply chain bottlenecks and allow builders to increase production of badly needed affordable housing.

• Promote and fund job training programs to prepare individuals for careers in home building and pursue immigration policies that help fill labor gaps while protecting the nation's borders.

OHBA mourns the loss of Mardy Patel’s mother, Norma Jean Slough. on Monday, May 09, 2022. Her obituary can be found here. If over the years you attended any of our State meetings, Norma would be sitting at the registration table with Mardy, smiling and assisting with getting everyone ready for the events of the day. Sympathy cards and notes of remembrance can be sent to mpatel@ohiohba.com or via mail to OHBA 17 South High Street, Suite 700, Columbus, OH 43215.

More than 10,000 NAHB Members Send a Strong Message to Biden

·More than 10,000 residential construction workers from all 50 states sent a letter to President Biden on April 27 calling on the White House to take immediate action as the growing housing affordability crisis is pushing the housing market to an inflection point that threatens to derail the current housing and economic expansion.

· Our members hammered home the following message: Rising costs stemming from historically high price levels for lumber and other building materials, supply chain bottlenecks, surging interest rates, excessive regulations and a persistent lack of construction workers have significantly decreased housing affordability conditions, particularly for entry-level buyers and renters.

· NAHB – through our powerful grassroots -- called for meaningful steps to allow builders to increase the supply of affordable single-family and multifamily forsale and for-rent housing. We warned the White House that if the housing sector falters, the economy will surely follow.

·With tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments into the U.S. and production bottlenecks fueling lumber price volatility that has added more than $18,600 to the price of a new home since last August, NAHB called on Biden to immediately suspend tariffs on softwood lumber imports from Canada and to move quickly to enter into negotiations with Canada to pursue a new, long-term softwood lumber agreement.

Message from Ric Johnson,

NAHB State Rep (Continued....)

NAHB Legislative Conference is Set for Wednesday, June 15

• · Our members will have an opportunity build on the momentum generated by our letter to Biden and push Congress to act by attending the 2022 NAHB Legislative Conference • · So it’s important to spread the word now that the single biggest grassroots event of the year – the NAHB Legislative Conference –will take place in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 15. • · The Legislative Conference will provide you a unique opportunity to go to Capitol Hill and hold face-to-face meetings with your federal lawmakers. • · This is your chance to call on your members of Congress to act now to implement solutions to the housing affordability crisis and supply chain bottlenecks that are raising construction costs and harming housing affordability. • · Your participation in this effort can make a difference for housing. We hope to see you in Washington on June 15. • · Meanwhile, NAHB will continue to keep the pressure on the

Biden administration and Congress and is working 24-7 to keep housing in the national forefront and to resolve these critical housing affordability issues that are affecting all our members across the country. • · Learn more about NAHB’s efforts to address the lumber and building material supply chain crisis by visiting. nahb.org/ lumber.

NAHB Supports Efforts of GOP Lawmakers on WOTUS

·In a move supported by NAHB, all 50 Republican senators have sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency urging it to halt its “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rulemaking process while the Supreme Court considers a case brought by Idaho couple Chantell and Mike Sackett on the Clean Water Act.

• More than 200 GOP House lawmakers sent a separate letter to the EPA seeking the same ask.

• The Sackett case could have major implications for Clean

Water Act enforcement.

• The Senate letter states that “proceeding with the rulemaking at this time, despite the pending litigation and potential influential verdict, will only deepen uncertainty within the regulated community.”

• Like NAHB, the GOP lawmakers are also very critical of the

WOTUS rule as it is currently proposed. • “Given the severe financial penalties stakeholders could face for conducting standard agricultural or other land development practices under the proposed rule, family farmers and ranchers are understandably alarmed by the administration’s attempted land grab,” the GOP lawmakers stated. • The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that as of Sept. 3, the agencies have halted implementation of the

Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and are interpreting

WOTUS consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime until further notice. • This unilateral decision by the agencies -- without public input -- means that landowners must immediately follow the federal definition of WOTUS that existed prior to both the Trump and

Obama administration’s WOTUS rules. • While the agencies reiterated their commitment to change the regulatory definition of WOTUS under the Clean Water Act (CWA) announced in June, that effort is expected to take more than a year to complete. • NAHB Senior Officers, members and HBA staff testified at a series of hearings throughout last August and more recently last month to voice their support for retaining the NWPR and thereby avoid having the agencies revert back to asserting federal control over non-navigable and isolated wetlands, ephemeral streams, and roadside drainage ditches. • The regulated community faces significant regulatory uncertainty in light of the agencies’ decision, as sections of the pre-2015 rules have been found unlawful by the courts, and the guidance documents provided by the agencies have been superseded by more current guidance. • NAHB is exploring all options to limit this federal overreach, as well as the challenges this reversion to the old rules will create. We will continue to keep members updated on further developments and provide additional guidance once it becomes available. • Meanwhile, builders who have received, or are in the process of applying for federal wetlands permits or jurisdictional determinations, are encouraged to log onto nahb.org/wotus where they can access NAHB’s guidance to frequently asked questions to help navigate the current landscape.

RCAC to take up review of 2020 National Electric Code (NEC)

At its August 24, 2022 meeting, the committee members will hear Petition 22-01 asking the committee to adopt the newest version of the electrical code to Chapter 34 of the 2018 RCO. Interested parties are encourage to attend and provide comments and examples of current issues with ARC Faults, Service Calculations, and any other issues concerning the electrical code. Public comments are requested as the committee considers the 2020 NEC and its costs, effectiveness, and relevance to building affordable, safe homes in the State of Ohio.