Dallas BA Goes to Washington
The Dallas Builders Association, on June 12, took the opportunity on Capitol Hill to make the industry’s voice heard to our members of Congress. A team of members and staff traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of NAHB’s national legislative conference.
Meeting with the offices of the ten U.S. Representative’s of the Dallas BA service area, the Association discussed the importance of boosting the nation’s housing supply as a key strategy for addressing inflation. With a nationwide housing shortage of roughly 1.5 million residential units, the share of overall inflation relative to both rental and homeownership (shelter inflation) has seen a significant increase. Dallas BA members advised our national policymakers that the best way to tame that inflation, and ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis, is to build more homes.
Dallas BA asked members of Congress to give particular consideration to three critical issues:
Energy Codes: Reverse a problematic policy issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that overreaches by requiring that 2021 International Energy Conservation Code but disallows needed amendments that make the code appropriate for each local region of the country. The policy exacerbates housing affordability by raising the cost of new homes and limits access to mortgage financing for those families who need it most.
Distribution Transformers: Address the severe shortage of distribution transformers by fixing supply chain disruptions and boosting domestic manufacturing.
Workforce Development: Ensure that the tremendously successful Job Corps program, a vital source of trades trained labor for housing and other industries, is fully funded.
During our time on the Hill, Dallas BA met with the offices of U.S. Representatives Colin Allred, Michael Burgess, Jasmine Crockett, Jake Ellzey, Pat Fallon, Lance Gooden, Ronny Jackson, Keith Self, Beth Van Duyne, and Marc Veasey. We appreciate our members of Congress welcoming us in to discuss important housing policy.
