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HBAG News - May 2016
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Building a Better Georgia
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| | HBAG Senior Officers with Dean Mon, candidate for NAHB Third Vice Chair. |
HBAG Spring Board Meeting
Highlights
The HBAG's 2016 Spring Board Meeting at Château Élan Winery & Resort saw a great crowd of builder and associate members from around the state. Members were able to join together and hear updates on issues in the industry. There were many opportunities to earn continuing education credits; including RAC, GAC, the Board of Directors meeting, and a very insightful and entertaining presentation on the state of the economy given by Elliot Eisenberg, Chief Economist for Graphs and Laughs, LLC.
An impressive amount of funding was raised for Build-PAC at 2 separate events, the HBA of Georgia Classic Golf Tournament held at Château Élan Golf Club and a wine tasting held in the atrium of the resort. BUILD-PAC is the federal political action committee (PAC) of the NAHB. BUILD-PAC's mission is to help elect pro-housing, pro-business candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Candidates who support, promote, and protect housing's priorities in Washington.
Thank you to all that were able to attend and make this a successful meeting! A big thank you to Georgia Power for sponsoring the luncheon with guest speaker Elliot Eisenberg, and Builders Insurance Group for sponsoring the name badges. As always, thank you to Atlanta Gas Light and Builders Insurance Group for being 2016 HBAG Platinum Sponsors and for the continued support.
Be sure to save the date for the next HBAG meeting in Jekyll Island on September 21 & 22.
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Thank you to TerraCraft Homes for sponsoring the Fine Wine Tasting to benefit Build-PAC.
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MEMBER REBATE PROGRAM
A Free Member Benefit of your State and Local HBA
The Member Rebate Program is a free member benefit available to all active Builder and Remodeler members. With 50+ industry leading manufacturers in the program, members are rewarded for their loyalty, the same as a "Top 5" Builder. The average rebate per Builder and Remodeler member who participated in 2015 was $1,178.12! In fact, over 70% of participants received more than their annual dues to their association last year! Don't leave any money on the table. Start participating today.
The deadline to file your Q1'16 rebate claims is right around the corner! Don't wait until the last minute, get your claims in! Friday, May 20th will be the final deadline to submit. Don't leave any money on the table! We look forward to writing your next rebate check! Click here for the claim form.
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Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Open Burning Ban Began May 1, 2016 for 54 Counties
Beginning May 1, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) open burning ban will be in effect for 54 Georgia counties. The open burning ban has been in place during the summer ozone season since 2005.
The open burning ban prohibits citizens and businesses from burning yard and land-clearing debris from May 1 through September 30. This restriction is in addition to a ban on the burning of household garbage, which is enforced year-round throughout Georgia.
Citizens are reminded that these rules are in place to protect public health. A person's health may be negatively impacted by the chemicals and pollutants found in the smoke released from fires.
Ground-level ozone is most commonly produced in the heat of the summer. Ground-level ozone can cause lung inflammation as well as other health problems. Open burning also creates particle pollution, which consists of extremely small particles that can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
May through September is a time of year when people, particularly children, are more likely to be outdoors. The outdoor activity also coincides with the increase in ground-level ozone and particle pollution.
Some actions such as campfires and agricultural activities are exempt.
Citizens can access more information on the open burning ban by visiting http://epd.georgia.gov/ and clicking on "Open Burning Ban" under Quick Links, or by calling the EPD District Office in their area (phone numbers listed below). Small businesses can obtain help and information by calling EPD's Small Business Environmental Assistance Program toll-free at 1-877-427-6255.
Counties included in the ban and the appropriate EPD District Office phone numbers follow:
- Mountain District Office (Atlanta): 404-362-2671 Carroll, Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Henry, Rockdale, and Spalding counties.
- Northeast District Office (Athens): 706-369-6376 Banks, Barrow, Butts, Clarke, Hall, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Putnam, and Walton counties.
- East Central District Office (Augusta): 706-667-4343 Columbia and Richmond counties.
- West Central District Office (Macon): 478-751-6612 Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Lamar, Monroe, Peach, Pike, Twiggs, Upson, Meriwether, and Troup counties.
- Mountain District Office (Cartersville): 770-387-4900 Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Floyd, Forsyth, Gordon, Haralson, Lumpkin, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, and Walker counties.
For more information about alternatives to burning, such as composting and chipping, please visit http://epd.georgia.gov/air/outreach-and-alternatives-burning. You may also access a map of Georgia composting operations at http://epd.georgia.gov/composting-operations-georgia.
Debris can also be hauled to a commercial processing/grinding/composting operation or to an inert or construction and demolition landfill. For a list of landfills in your area, please call EPD's Solid Waste Management Program at 404-362-2692 and/or visit the Land Protection Branch website for more details: http://epd.georgia.gov/land-protection-branch.
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OVERTIME PROPOSAL
On June 30, DOL proposed increasing the salary threshold to $50,440 per year as of 2016, which is the 40th percentile of earnings for all full time salaried workers. This is an unprecedented 102% increase in the salary threshold. For the first time ever, DOL also proposed increasing this minimum salary on an annual basis by pegging it to the 40th percentile or by indexing it to inflation. Click here to read more regarding the DOL Overtime Proposal...
This is an administrative rule, meaning when it takes effect (as early as this summer) it is law. Our recourse is to ask members of congress to pass legislation that would rescind this rule.
The new rule would more than double the federal overtime salary threshold from $23,660 to $50,440, and, for the first time ever, index the salary threshold to inflation. This means if your currently exempt employee earns less than $970 per week, you would need to track their hours worked and pay overtime. In fact, we estimate over 116,000 construction supervisors would become overtime eligible under this proposal, (as well as other administrative and professional staff) which could take effect as soon as this summer.
The Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act (S.2707/H.R.4773) would force the U.S. Department of Labor to withdraw this proposal until it has considered the economic effects of nearly doubling the overtime threshold. We are asking members of congress to support this bill and are looking for additional co-sponsors
It's important to stress that an increase in the salary threshold this large and dramatic is unprecedented and increases the costs of small business to operate and employ people. Actions such as these can prevent housing from leading our economy in recovery.
It is critical you take action today - All it takes is a few clicks to send the letter.
Please contact Michael Blake Bezruki- Director, Grassroots Programs, Government Affairs & Communications at NAHB with concerns. Call 202.266.8542 or mbezruki@nahb.org.
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LICENSE RENEWAL REMINDER
It's time to renew your license to practice as a Residential or General Contractor. Your license expires June 30, 2016, so visit http://www.sos.ga.gov/plb to renew. Click on the License Renewal link to begin the renewal process. The online renewal process takes only a few minutes. After updating both your physical and your mailing addresses, and your email address, and answering the renewal questions, you may pay using your American Express, Mastercard, or Visa using our secure server.
RENEW NOW! DO NOT WAIT UNTIL the DEADLINE!
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SAVE THE DATE for the 2016 HBAG Fall Board Meeting - September 21 & 22
The 2016 Fall Board Meeting will be held at The Westin Jekyll Island on September 21 & 22. Committee Meetings will take place on Wednesday, September 21, 2016. On Thursday, September 22 please join fellow HBAG members for more meetings, followed by a cocktail reception and awards banquet. Stay tuned to www.hbag.org for details.
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