BUILDING CODE BILL AWAITING SENATE COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT
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Thank you, HBAA members-you did
it! Thank you to each of you who contacted your legislator about the HBAA's
building code bill (HB 264-Wren) and especially to those of you who made the
trip to Montgomery on Tuesday to speak to your House members in person. Your
influence will be needed again as the bill moves through the Senate.
Following Tuesday's win in
the House, HB 264 is sitting in the basket in the Senate chamber awaiting
assignment to committee. As most may be aware, the Senate is bogged down in
debate over the road bill. The
debate has consumed the Senate for the past two weeks and will continue into
next week. Until the debate ends, none of the bills passed in the House can get
their first reading. As soon as the impasse is cleared, the HBAA will move to
get the bill before the committee at the earliest opportunity.
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HBAA MONITORS OTHER
ISSUES ON THE HILL
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The HBAA is focused like a laser
on passage of HB 264, but other problems lurk in some of the 772 bills that
have been introduced thus far this session. The HBAA is monitoring all
legislation that could affect the housing industry and your pocketbook. Among
these are bills dealing with homestead exemptions, property reappraisals,
mortgage satisfaction, fire sprinkler installation by plumbers, and a myriad of other matters.
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NON-LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
ATTRACT HBAA ATTENTION
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Below are a couple of the issues
that the HBAA is working on off the hill: - Health
department updates to onsite regs: There are a couple of minor issues with
the rule updates regarding maintenance permitting. This is more of a "definition"
issue clarifying what constitutes "repair to a septic system requiring a
permit" and "general maintenance not requiring permit coverage."
- The HBAA submitted formal comments yesterday adding
its voice to those concerned with ADEM's proposed alteration of the
stormwater rule. The rule has
been in place since 2002 and has been a balanced approach to combining
regulation with business acceptance. Environmentalists are eager to have
EPA take over this program. They have filed a formal petition urging EPA
to do just that. Their stated intention is "to bring the department down
so we can build it back up." The
HBAA will oppose any effort to make substantial changes that will
undermine ADEM or its programs.
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