Legislative News
March 3, 2017
Legislative Briefing
 
 
On March 8th, the House and Senate will face the deadline to pass general bills from their opposite chambers. The appropriation and revenue bills will have a March 14th deadline for consideration.  Click here for the bills we are following.

A WEEK IN REVIEW
  
SB 2855- Licensure Bill
SB 2855, the bill that would have streamlined licensure for specific subcontracting fields such as electrical, HVAC, gas and plumbing, and would have clarified residential licensure requirements when negotiating a contract, died in the House Judiciary B committee.  The chairman, Representative Andy Gipson, assigned the bill to Representative Joel Bomgar to present in committee. Representative Bomgar skipped the bill on the agenda (during their final meeting before the deadline) and the bill died for the year.
 
HBAM will be working with legislators and leadership following the session and will hopefully have the chance to reintroduce the legislation next year.

SB 2944- Tax Legislation
SB 2944 is the legislation supported by HBAM to cl arify the definition of repairs in regard to residential construction taxes,  and to make sure the statute matches what is already in regulation. This bill is now in the House and should be referred soon. SB 2944 is considered a revenue bill that needs to be passed by March 14th. Click here to see talking points on the bill. 

HBAM will make contact when the bill is referred so  members can start reaching out to committee members.

HB 1076- Growth and Prosperity Act
HB 1076, legislation that brought forward a number of statutes, including building code sections, died  this week in the Senate Finance committee. As mentioned before, the alleged intent of the bill was to help with economic development under the current Growth and Prosperity Act Program (GAP). HBAM was concerned that the bill language was vague and opened up many code sections affecting the construction and home building industry.

HB 1601- First Time Home Buyers Savings Account
HB 1601, the First Time Home Buyers Savings Account bill passed the House and still awaits committee assignment in the Senate.  HBAM supports this legislation for first time home buyers. Click here to view the MS Realtor's fact sheet on the legislation.

MS Construction Education Foundation SkillsUSA Competition and Passport to Careers Expo

Pictured (L to R): Stephanie Lee , Executive Director of the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves and  Shannon Coker,  Executive Vice President of the Home Builders Association of Mississippi
 
The Mississippi Construction Education Foundation (MCEF) recently hosted hundreds of Mississippi career and technical students, along with aspiring apprentices, for one of the state's largest-ever craft competitions. The annual MCEF SkillsUSA State Championship featured more than 300 top-notch competitors from around the state in conjunction with the Passport to Careers (P2C) Expo and Counselors and CTE Directors Workshop.
 
Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves addressed the group during the event luncheon. He discussed pathways to success and talked about the importance of careers in construction. He advised students to never be afraid to dream big and to set goals to strive for achievements.

HBAM recently joined the MCEF board and looks forward to a long term partnership with the organization to help foster the future of the construction industry.
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Build PAC is critical to the Home Builders Association of Mississippi's success in pursuing pro-housing and pro-business issues at the legislature because:

Build PAC elects pro-housing and pro-business candidates that are running for state office, the state legislature and judiciary.

Keeps the Home Builders Association Mississippi's agenda in the forefront with the most influential political figures in the State.

Gains access to the elected officials that vote on issues important to the Mississippi housing industry.

Creates political clout for the Home Builders Association of Mississippi.