NBN Online for the week of April 21, 2008

Attend Government Affairs Recognition Breakfast on May 1

Public officials, home builders associations and home builders who have advanced the needs and principles of the building industry and created more opportunities for the industry will be honored at a Government Affairs Recognition Awards breakfast during NAHB’s spring board meetings in Washington, D.C. 

The program will recognize federal, state and local officials for their support of the industry, as well as members and HBAs involved in BUILD-PAC and grassroots advocacy.

The awards breakfast will be from 8:00-9:30 a.m., Thursday, May 1 at the National Housing Center.

To purchase tickets, click here.

Some of the honorees include:

• 2008 State Official of the Year
  Lance Reynolds
  State Representative, Cleburne & White County, Arkansas
  
  Johnny Hoyt
  State Representative, Conway & Perry Arkansas
  
  
• 2008 Federal Official of the Year
  Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)
  U.S. House of Representatives
  
  
• 2008 Government Affairs Program
  Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
  Washington
  
  
• 2008 Government Affairs Program
  Oregon Home Builders Association
  
  
• 2008 BuilderLink Staff Advisor of the Year
  Flora Schmidt
  Home Builders Association of Iowa
  
  
• 2008 BuilderLink Ambassador of the Year
  Eugene Graf III
  Southwest Montana Building Industry Association
  
  
• 2008 BuilderLink “Call To Action” Award
  Awarded to all Florida home builders associations.
  
  
• 2008 BUILD-PAC Champion of the Year
  Barry Rutenberg
  Builders Associaton of North Central Florida
  
  
• 2008 BUILD-PAC State Event of the Year
  Home Builders Association of Central Arizona
  
  
• 2008 BUILD-PAC Associate of the Year
  Michael Kurpiel
  Builders League of South Jersey
  
  
• 2008 BUILD-PAC Associate of the Year
  Rick Shields
  Lake Norman Home Builders Association, North Carolina

For more information, visit www.nahb.org/gaawards, or e-mail Beth Ambrose at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8253.

Mark Your Calendar for the 2008 NAHB Legislative Conference

The 2008 NAHB Legislative Conference provides a unique opportunity for builders to meet with their members of Congress, discuss the issues that affect their business and bottom line and establish a lasting relationship with their elected federal officials.

The day-long conference on Wednesday, April 30 coincides with the NAHB spring board meeting in Washington, D.C.

Builders are encouraged to travel to the nation’s capital to urge their representatives and senators to support policies that stabilize housing, restore confidence in the credit markets and bolster the nation’s economy.

Members of Congress are being urged to:

• Support a temporary home buyer tax credit to boost sales, reduce excess inventory in housing markets and halt the dangerous erosion of house prices
  
  
• Enact Federal Housing Administration modernization to assist first-time and moderate-income home buyers and alleviate the mortgage credit crunch
  
  
• Adopt comprehensive reform legislation for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to enable these financial institutions to provide badly needed liquidity to the mortgage market
  
  
• Expand the mortgage revenue bond program to help strapped borrowers refinance existing loans
  
  
• Allow businesses to carry back net operating losses for five years to save jobs and help them weather the economic storm

For more information and to register for NAHB’s 2008 Legislative Conference, click here; or e-mail Molly Murray at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8282.