HBA Advocacy Update

Minnesota Senate File 2 and House File 2

HBA of F-M emailed a call to action on these two bills last week. They relate to paid family and medical leave. Every employer in the state regardless of size is mandated to participate. “Covered Employment” can include extraterritorial employment outside the state of Minnesota so long as some work is performed in Minnesota and the employer is a Minnesota employer. Both bills are moving through committees in the House and Senate. HF 2 is with the Human Services Finance committee and SF 2 is with the Human Services committee. 

HBA of F-M is opposed because:

• Business competition is already difficult in Minnesota. This is especially the case for our region where we are competing with our next door neighbor, North Dakota. 
• Small and medium-sized businesses already operate on a tight budget, this will cause them to either relocate or close their business for good.
• With the current workforce climate, it leaves an employer in a difficult situation when an employee is gone for 24 weeks.
• In order to recoup the money spent, builders may have to add it to the cost of a home, thus pricing out even more buyers already challenged to find attainable housing.

If anything, HBA of F-M urges legislators to consider the following amendments to the current bill:

• Limiting the leave to 12 weeks.
• Exempt small employers with 50 or fewer employees.
• Use the definition of a family member similar to FMLA (Family and Medial Leave Act).

Click here to read quick facts on what these bills entail.

Contact the individuals below to let them know why you are opposed. 

Governor Tim Walz, 651-201-3400, https://mn.gov/governor/contact/

House Speaker Melissa Hortman, 651-296-4280, rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn.gov

Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, 651-296-7809, Use Mail Form

Local legislators:

Dist. 4 Sen. Kupec, (651) 296-3205, Sen.robert.kupec@senate.mn   

Dist. 4A Rep. Keeler, (651) 296-5515, rep.heather.keeler@house.mn.gov

Dist. 4B Rep. Joy, (651) 296-6829, rep.jim.joy@house.mn.gov 

Update on North Dakota Legislation

House Bill 1499

• Introduced by Rep. Roers Jones, this bill relates to interest buydowns on mortgages. While the North Dakota Association of Builders and HBA of F-M supported this bill, it was amended to be turned into a study. The amended version passed in the House. 

Senate Bill 2303

• Relating to basement depths, this bill would have essentially made it impossible to build houses with basements in our region. With a unanimous do not pass recommendation from the Local and State Government Committee, it failed in the Senate. 

Senate Bill 2207

• Initially opposed by NDAB, this bill would have excluded nonprofit entities from being required to have a general contractors license if they were giving or selling a single-family home below the appraised value to a low-income person. HBA and NDAB believe that licenses are necessary. However, working with the Secretary of State, this bill was amended to still require a general contractors license, but waive the fee for nonprofits. This passed in the Senate. 

Minnesota Construction Codes Advisory Council met Feb. 9

The Minnesota Construction Codes Advisory Council recently met and heard multiple updates:

• The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry will be investing money in prevailing wage compliance and education. There will be an emphasis placed on enforcement. 
• MN DLI is looking for ways to diversify apprenticeship programs.
• A review of DLI legislation was covered, some topics included:
  • Electric vehicle charging stations in commercial buildings
  • Window cleaning safety
  • Enforcing codes in assisted living facilities
  • Boiler inspections, and more.
• The Board of Electricity met Jan. 31 and accepted their sub-committee’s recommendation to adopt the 2023 NEC without amendments. The NEC 2023 will become effective July 1, 2023.
• Special attention will be paid to maximizing energy efficiency. Minnesota's goal is for new construction to be net-zero by 2036.  

For more detailed information and for every topic that was covered, access the presentation here. 

Concerned about Building Codes? NAHB Needs YOU!

The National Association of Home Builders' Construction Codes and Standards Committee (CC&S) is looking for NAHB members interested in applying to serve for 2023 on one of its three subcommittees: 

• Building Codes and Standards Subcommittee,
• Construction Technology Research Subcommittee and
• Energy and Green Codes and Standards Subcommittee.

For more information, click here.