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NAHB Goes to New York to Promote Election-Year National Housing Agenda

Among its activities at the convention, NAHB — along with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors® and the Independent Community Bankers of America — hosted a reception in honor of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and the Republican members of Congress. Republican lawmakers attending the event lauded the housing industry and cited the critical role that home builders play in the U.S. economy and political process.

To promote a national housing agenda in this election year, NAHB ran a series of ads in special daily convention issues of the National Journal that were distributed to every lawmaker and candidate in attendance. The same appeared earlier this summer at the Democratic convention in Boston.

Further boosting housing’s presence in New York, NAHB cosponsored two convention media briefings with the National Journal and MSNBC featuring election analysis from political pundits, including Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report; and Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball.”

In a statement of housing policy presented to the Republican Platform Drafting Committee last month, the nation’s home builders recommended these priorities:

• Sustaining housing’s critical role in the national economy
• Maintaining a strong housing finance system
• Supporting federal tax incentives for housing
• Promoting the production of workforce and affordable housing
• Encouraging federal regulatory reform and protecting private property rights
• Advocating sound land-use and regulatory policies at the local and state level
• Supporting incentives for small business
• Ensuring that housing continues to be a top national concern

In June, NAHB also testified before the Democratic Party Platform Committee, where the association had the opportunity to outline specific builder policy recommendations for a national housing agenda.

For more information, e-mail Michael Strauss at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8252.

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