NBN Online for the week of July 9, 2007

States Taking Immigration Reform Into Their Own Hands

Failure of the U.S. Congress to overhaul the nation's immigration laws is expected to accelerate efforts by state and local governments to take matters into their own hands by considering a record number of proposals targeting illegal immigrants.

U.S. Senators voted 46 to 53 against a procedural motion on June 28 to move toward a final vote on the bill (S. 1639), effectively killing federal action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.

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Lumber Prices Provided by Random Lengths

Tucson Builders Seek Relief From Sweltering Impact Fees

With impact fees and other government-imposed fees pushing the cost of housing in the Tucson-Pima County area beyond the means of many families, the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) is looking to work with local governments to find alternative ways to finance much-needed infrastructure.

The association has approached NAHB to bring its “Infrastructure Solutions Program” to the region in 2008. This alternative financing program helps governments partner with builders to create innovative growth strategies that identify other funding sources.

Almost $1 Million Available in ‘Buy Now’ Grant Funds, Apply Now

NAHB has a little less than $1 million in “Buy Now” advertising assistance grants still available to local associations to bolster home sales in markets hit hard by the current housing downturn.

NAHB is encouraging HBAs that have not yet received or been approved to receive grant money to apply today.

To date, 117 HBAs in 36 states have received or been approved to receive more than $2 million in NAHB advertising assistance. Including the matching funds that the HBAs contributed, the total value of their advertising campaigns is more than $6.1 million.

The NAHB “Buy Now” Advertising Assistance Program provides grants to qualifying HBAs in three categories:

• HBAs conducting ad campaigns in the top 10 media markets (Tier 1)
• HBAs with more than 250 members operating in areas outside of the top 10 major media markets (Tier 2)
• HBAs with 250 or fewer members (Tier 3)

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Nation's Building News Will Not Be Published July 16

Nation's Building News will not be published July 16. Regular weekly publication will resume July 23.