Skip to main content

DBH Legislative Update

The 90th General Assembly is officially in recess until sine die on or before May 8.  The session came in like a lion with the Governor pushing hard for his tax cut legislation and went out like a lion with our legislature making national news on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We dodged camera crews, reporters and protestors all week! We won’t go into all the details surrounding this piece of legislation, but the end result was a new bill, SB975, that Governor Hutchinson immediately signed into law.  This new legislation is a compromise between all parties and mimics Federal law.

The legislature approved three proposed constitutional amendments that will be referred to the voters in the 2016 election.  You will find these listed below with links to the content of the resolutions:

HJR1027 - An Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution Concerning the Terms, Election and Eligibility of Elected Officials

SJR 3 – An Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to allow the Governor to Retain His or Her Powers and Duties When Absent from the State

SJR 16 – An Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to Encourage Job Creation, Job Expansion and Economic Development

Overall we had a good session and we have really enjoyed working with you on your issues.  This session was very different for us because of Amendment 3 – the ethics amendment – passed in the 2014 General Election.  This new law drastically changed the way we have traditionally done business and it took a bit of time for us, as well as legislators, to adapt to this new model.  Without being able to take legislators out for dinners it proved very difficult to get to know the 38 new members of the General Assembly.  Finding the time to visit with new and returning members regarding your legislative issues was tricky at best!  New legislation adopted this session will make it even more difficult when they come back next session as we will only be able to host one event, like a committee dinner, every seven days.  But, we are persevering and adapting and we continue to develop new strategies on working with members.  One thing we know for sure, we will be working more than ever during the interim to continue to build and nurture relationships and meet with members to discuss issues as they work in their interim committees.

Congratulations on a successful session!  You jumped right in and did an awesome  job on your first session! We have enjoyed getting to know you and we enjoyed working with you on those issues that were of concern to the homebuilders. Please keep in touch during the interim to keep us updated on your meetings and travels throughout the state on behalf of the Arkansas Homebuilders Association. 

Popular posts from this blog

Let's Golf! Get infront of the Arkansas Home Builders with a Sponsorship.

Save the Date - Thursday, May 16th Click on links for Sponsorships and to Enter.   Sponsorships   Enter a Team Today   We are having a Build Pac Golf Tournament to raise funds for our National Home Builders Association Political Action Fund for the State of Arkansas.  BUILD-PAC, NAHB’s bipartisan political arm, helps elect pro-housing, pro-business candidates to federal office and is critical to NAHB’s success on Capitol Hill. Elections matter and have a lasting impact. That’s why it is so important for NAHB members to be engaged in the political process every step of the way. BUILD-PAC’s mission is to elect pro-housing, pro-business candidates to Congress who will protect and promote the home building industry in Washington. It is a grassroots PAC, governed by a Board of Trustees made up of more than 100 NAHB members from across the country. Candidate contributions are recommended by the trustee(s) of jurisdiction and approved by the full board. BUILD-PAC’s strong politi
Read more

Job Corps - Critical Condition

                                                                                                    Take Action to Ensure a Future Workforce                                                        A Critical NAHB Jobs Training Program Hangs in the Balance.                                      You Can Help Save It A House appropriations subcommittee has eliminated the Job Corps program, the nation’s largest residential career training and education program. The Home Builders Institute, NAHB’s training affiliate, is the largest Job Corps national trades training contractor. Given the severe labor shortage in the construction industry that is raising construction costs and harming housing affordability, funding for Job Corps is needed now more than ever. Send your letter asking them to vote for an NAHB-supported amendment from Reps. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Mark Amodei (R-NV) that restores full funding for the Job Corps program. Take Action Today at www.BuilderLink.
Read more

Your Voice Matters • As a member of the NAHB, AHBA, and Your Local

October 6, 2023 FROM YOUR STATE REP, Keith Wingfield, River Rock Builders You may not see what we actually do, but you will feel it in your markets soon! NAHB and all of the officers, state reps and national area chairman stay hard at work on the issues that affect you the most, usually working on codes, regulations and any other issue that affects the cost of housing. Remember that you elected officials are making these laws, regulations, codes, and other rule making……if you want to be a part of the process make sure that you answer every CALL TO ACTION so that your input is heard! Let me, your State Rep know what you need and what is affecting you the most. If I can help I will, if not I’ll send you somewhere to find the help you need! Your dues go a long way to fund this association and make sure we are not over-regulated and wiped out from codes that are not necessary. Moreover, your contributions to BUILD PAC help to ensure we elect the right people to vote the way we need them to
Read more