Hey there BIAW members and other various sundry people – it’s the Hammer with Himebaugh! We only have 27 more days left to ensure that’s what this thing gets called into perpetuity instead of the BIAW Bulletin which remains the most boring name on earth.

So with about a month left and both the House and Senate majority initial budget offerings out, we are in the last legs of the legislative session.

This week is all fiscal committee work and the Senate had scheduled some morning “virtual floor” before heading into fiscal committee work, which in both the House and Senate will be a daily marathon as all the bills not Necessary to Implement the Budget (NTIB) need to be passed out of those committees by Friday. And then we’re looking at a weekend of work. Yes, over Easter weekend. We anticipate each chamber will pass its version of the budget and then the work to reconcile those will begin.

We still have bills of importance to BIAW up for hearing this week – including a bill that reforms the housing element of the GMA.

HB 1232 adds some teeth and missing middle pieces to the weakest part of the GMA, the housing element. It’s a good bill and is up for hearing in Senate Ways and Means this week on Wednesday. Sign in pro to show the industry’s support to increasing housing access and opportunities for everyone.

Also, in a step to get out of the long nightmare of COVID, everyone in construction will qualify for the COVID vaccine on Wednesday. That means everyone – you, your framers, the tile guy (or woman), the office staff, etc. So get at it. Get that shot!

Thanks for watching another pretty great episode of the Hammer with Himebaugh. Homes start here. Himebaugh out.