Hearth Insight
January 2023
Legislative Update
from our NWHPBA Lobbyist, Carolyn Logue
The 2023 Legislative Sessions are either underway or about to be underway across the NW region. January 2 marked the first day for Montana, January 9th was the first day for both Washington and Idaho, and Alaska gets underway on January 17th.
 
The challenge now is to collect all of the bills and interesting tidbits for the hearth industry and small businesses in general. Over the next few weeks, I will be going through the bills for all of the states, looking for ones to put on our priority list.
 
This week, the focus will be on Washington state because that state tends to create more work for businesses than the others. In addition, because of the political nature of Washington state, there are legislators who are still working to ban natural gas statewide – going even further than the State Building Code Council did this past summer.
 
For Washington state, here are a few key bills we are tracking:
 
HB 1193/SB 5097 (SUPPORT) – These bills, while not identical, both seek to prohibit the state and/or the state building code council from banning the use of natural gas in homes.   While these are key bills for NWHPBA, unfortunately it is likely they will not be allowed a hearing this year.
 
HB 1147/SB 5200 (SUPPORT WITH CHANGES): This bill is the Capital Budget which includes $4.5 million for Woodstove Changeout Programs. NWHPBA is hoping to fine tune the language included with that dollar amount to ensure that all air agencies must offer the homeowner the opportunity to do a wood to wood change out in addition to other options. Since the goal of the program is to eliminate the older stoves that do not burn as clean, it is important that wood to wood options be offered since many people will keep the older woodstove just to keep a woodstove in the house. With the move to electrification and the subsequent reduction in ability to utilize gas or propane stoves, it will be important to emphasize changing to a newer, EPA-certified woodstove. Without a wood to wood option, many people may take the money in the “buy back” option and then put a non-EPA certified stove back in if they need wood
 
SB 5117 (SUPPORT): This bill, sponsored by Senator Linda Wilson, makes significant changes in HOW the State Building Code Council does its work in the future. It emphasizes a broader stakeholder process that emphasizes technical expertise. It also requires stronger emphasis on the use of economic impact statements. The hope being that the council can no longer be used simply as a political tool. This bill was scheduled for a hearing this week but then pulled from the agenda.
 
Click here for a full list of bills being tracked by NWHPBA in Washington State with links to the bill information.
 
As Alaska prepares to open its session, they first had to deal with leadership issues. Back in November, a bi-partisan caucus emerged in the State Senate but both Republicans and a caucus of Democrats and independents in the state House are short of the 21 votes they need to create a majority in that house. Lawmakers will begin meeting in Juneau next week; they hope to avoid a repeat of 2019 and 2021, when the House couldn’t agree on a leader for more than a month. (Alaska Beacon)
 
Also in AlaskaGov. Mike Dunleavy (R) will introduce a carbon management bill to diversify state revenues that are overly reliant on proceeds from oil. The legislation would set out rules for storage of carbon dioxide in underground formations, and for a carbon offset program. (Anchorage Daily News)
HPBA Region 9 – Annual Meeting 2023
Date: May 4-5, 2023
Location: Best Western PLUS Hood River Inn – Hood River, OR
Hood River is a delightful town just 45 minutes from Portland. The Best Western is right on the river with fantastic views. Nearby, watch windsurfers and kiteboarders. Hood River is the windsurfing capital of the world. Downtown, enjoy numerous coffee shops, pubs, and restaurants.

Registration:  Attendee fees are $100 for HPBA members, $140 for non-members, $500 for exhibitors, and $250 for meal/event sponsors. Click here to register!

Exhibit Tables: Best Western has a nice room right next to the main room for exhibit tables. These are $500 and include two registrations and all meals.

Event Sponsors: Select your sponsorship for our welcome social (currently being planned at Full Sail Brewing Company on Thursday night) or for breakfast or lunch on Friday. Your support includes logo/link on the website, logo on slides during the event, and a live sponsor interview (2 minutes) during the meeting. Your sponsorship helps pay our speaker fees. Cost $250.

Hotel: Rooms at the Best Western PLUS Hood River Inn are being held for Thursday night, May 4. A total of 20 rooms have been blocked. Rates are from $149 – $189 per night, plus tax. Book rooms by April 10, 2023, to guarantee availability. Call 1-800-828-7873 and mention “Hearth Patio Barbecue Conference.”

Questions: Harvey Gail, OHPBA Executive Director harvey@prsalem.com or 
Amy Ohlinger, NWHPBA Executive Director, nwhpba@aminc.org
President's Message
from our NWHPBA President, Scott Ongley
Fresh New Start 2023 !!
Hello everyone! We made it! January 2023 is here the outlook moving forward is challenging as well as exciting! While we come out from a worldwide Pandemic and Brain Warping supply chain issues and price increases, it appears there is sunlight at the end of the tunnel.

Over the past 30 years of the Hearth industry, no one could ever imagine what the last 3 years have challenged us with. Let me congratulate all of you who made it through it! Take a breath and get ready for the aftermath! We will all see the future a little differently and we will all handle it differently for various reasons.

I want to assure you all your NWHPBA trade association is here backing you and here to help any way we can.

2023 Spring Conference NWHPBA / OHPBA Joint Conference – Hood River, Or.
I am excited to announce this year we will be offering an in-person destination venue for our joint Spring Conference with OHPBA in Hood River, Or. at the Best Western Resort. This venue is centrally located with great facilities. and offers endless mini vacation amenities from wine tasting, brew pubs, mountain visits, and fruit orchard purchases. Fishing, windsurfing, and golf adventures are close by as well.

Along with all this, we have great speakers and education to get you jump-started to a full recovery for the years to come.

Please watch for signup emails and save the dates!

Government Affairs 2022-2023
Last year and moving into the 2023 Legislative season our Industry is constantly being attacked on several fronts. The woodstove emissions are being questioned from Alaska to Maine. The gas bans and gas exhaust in homes are being questioned daily! The details are so extensive I urge all of you to visit our website and read the details. What we want from you and our customers is a grassroots effort to join us in this battle to help us save our industry from the few who seek to destroy us with inaccurate information. Ask your Reps, call NWHPBA and get involved before it is too late!!
 
Expo 2023 – Louisville, Ky.
I am truly excited to be going back to Expo this year and I urge our members to sign up early and get ready to go shopping again in person for all your Hearth and Patio needs. It is set up to be a Great Show!

In addition to the show, HPBA Nat ’l is going thru a changing of the guard. After many years of service, Jack Goldman HPBA President and CEO is retiring and handing over the reins to our new President and CEO Jill McClure! Jill comes from outside our industry and brings with her a plethora of fresh ideas and leadership. Please come to Louisville, Ky., and welcome her in person!

Louisville is a great destination with a multitude of attractions. Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, to the Bourbon Trail, to downtown attractions. Louisville is a city unlike any we have been to before. Please do not miss this opportunity to get your business back on track!!
 
Looking Forward
We are still breathing; we are still standing and we are still wanting the American Dream! Join me and your fellow association team in getting stronger and smarter in 2023. Come to Louisville, Come to Hood River, educate yourself and employees and get rejuvenated and get back on track!

I truly hope to see all of you and get caught up!

Best of a New Year!
 
Scott H. Ongley
NWHPBA President
NOW IS THE TIME TO GET TO KNOW
YOUR LEGISLATORS!
All of the NWHPBA member states will have legislative sessions in 2023. What this means is that it is time to get to know your legislators and be ready to talk to them about issues important to your business.

The best way to get to know your legislators is to invite them to your shop. Introduce them to your employees and show them the outstanding products you sell. Talk about how those products and your business benefit the community. We encourage all of our retailers to make this step. Air quality and energy discussions are on the national stage which means that even if your state is supportive of natural gas and woodstoves, you may find bills introduced this session that could hurt your business. It is important for state legislators to know who to go to for information when these bills come up. For states like Washington, we know there will be aggressive moves to ban natural gas completely and also we may see some impacts on woodstoves so we need our retailers to be talking to legislators NOW.

NWHPBA can provide lists of legislators and help you find who your legislators are once all the elections are certified. Call or email today to put in your request and we can help you get connected!

Take a couple of minutes to watch this video and learn more about the benefits of bringing lawmakers into your business — and how easy it is too!
Stay Up to Date on Issues that will impact your business this year!
Special Session at EXPO.

Sunday, March 12th
2:30 – 3:30 | On the show floor

  1. The new tax credit. Congress changed more than the percentage! You can learn what you need to know to answer your customer's questions, and how to use the new IRS guidance.
  2. Some models will see their EPA certifications expire beginning late this year, and they will be illegal to sell. EPA pulled the rug out from under our manufacturers last year and we’ll see the impact soon. Your suppliers are working to update and recertify those models, but you need to know the difference, or you could be liable for EPA enforcement. Learn what to look for and how to talk to your suppliers about these units.
  3. Which states have “fuel choice” bills passed, and which states are still in the fight? Even if you are in a fuel choice state, learn how building codes are being used as a loophole that can make it more costly to run gas to new homes.
  4. Changes are coming to the world of wood-burning inserts. Why is this happening, and what are manufacturers doing about it? Learn about the work being done to create a specific safety standard for inserts into Zero-clearance fireplaces.
  5. What is an HPBA “Action Alert” and why is it essential to act immediately if you receive one of these? Also, learn how to navigate the HPBA’s Government Affairs website and access all the information you need to stay up to date.
Washington State's Minimum Wage to Rise to $15.74 in 2023,
the Highest in U.S.
The state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced that the state’s minimum wage will increase by $1.25 per hour in 2023, bringing Washington state’s minimum wage to the highest in the nation.

The increase moves the statewide hourly minimum wage from $14.49 to $15.74, an increase of roughly 9%. Some local jurisdictions have higher rates based on local initiatives and laws. Seattle’s minimum wage will increase from $17.27 to $18.69 in 2023.

National Review covered the announcement and offered an insightful take on the increase in the context of other wage laws: “Given the steep increase in the minimum wage, the state’s salary requirements for exempt employees are also increasing significantly. In 2023, small employers (one to no more than fifty employees) must pay exempt employees 1.75 times the minimum wage, meaning that exempt employees of small employers must earn at least $1,101.80 per week ($57,293.60 per year) to meet the minimum salary requirement to be exempt from overtime requirements.”

Washington state voters approved Initiative 1433 in 2016, which requires L&I to adjust the minimum wage each year based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In 2020, L&I also started adding a cost-of-living adjustment to the minimum wage based on CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.

For more information on the wage increase and its impacts on workers aged 14 and 15, visit L&I’s website.
Draft Guidance on New Job-Posting Requirements Issued
In September, the state Department of Labor and Industries issued its guidance to employers on new requirements for job postings outlined in Senate Bill 5761 passed by lawmakers.

NFIB Washington and SHRM are following L&I’s work to implement the bill, dubbed the “Equal Pay and Opportunities Act.

According to L&I, “Under the new law, employers will have to include information in job postings such as a wage/salary range, and a general description of all benefits and other compensation. These requirements only apply to employers with 15 or more employees. The program rewrote portions of the draft policy to provide additional clarity around these requirements.”

The new requirements will be finalized in time for the law to take effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Membership Renewals
For those who have not yet renewed, your membership is crucial and allows us to continue to advocate for the health of our industry. With the help of one another, we were able to support each other and share our successes through tough times.

Renewing your membership is easy, and we have many options for your convenience!
  • Renew online and pay via card or check
  • If you select to pay by check, you will be directly invoiced and can mail us a check.
  • Call us directly at NWHPBA and we can renew over the phone with you
  • 253-525-5153 (Due to COVID, if you do not connect with us, please leave a voicemail, and Katie, our Executive Director, will return your call within 24-48 hours)
"This industry can feel really secluded and alone. Maintaining my membership has allowed me to build relationships and really get to know the other members. This has opened doors and encouraged brainstorming to solve industry wide issues as well as internal ones within my business that someone had already been through and knew a great solution for."

-Ryann Blake, Chimney Techniques
We want to hear from you!!!
The NWHPBA Communications Committee publishes the Hearth Insight monthly. If you have a story or article you would like to have shared, submit below to be included in our upcoming editions!!!
Northwest HPBA | Website | Email