Our country’s rulemaking process is chaotic.
For the past several years, we have seen policymakers pile overly burdensome rules one on top of another. As a result, we face excessive and redundant mandates that hurt businesses, slow the economy, and raise the price of consumer goods. Government regulation in residential construction makes up roughly 25% of the final price of a typical new single-family home.
To provide relief to the industry and the American public, our nation’s policymakers must reform both the rules and the rulemaking system. Reform can help ensure regulations achieve their intended benefits while minimizing negative impacts on the business community.
As a federation that represents roughly 140,000 residential construction professionals, NAHB works hard to achieve reform. It is engaging lawmakers and leaders of federal agencies to advance this effort while also partnering with industry stakeholders. NAHB is also in close contact with the White House and is encouraged by President Donald Trump’s commitment to easing regulatory burdens.
NAHB is pushing the Senate to advance three regulatory relief bills that have already passed the House. These bills include S. 21, Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which would restore congressional oversight authority to rulemaking; S. 951, Regulatory Accountability Act, which would add greater transparency to the process; and S. 584, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, which would ensure agencies consider the effects of regulations on small businesses.
NAHB is also working with agency heads to reform the rules their agencies have issued. The NAHB leadership met with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to discuss ways to make mandates more cost-effective without undermining their intent. NAHB also submitted comments to EPA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that identified existing regulations to be revised or repealed.
In addition, NAHB hosted a Regulatory ReFORUM in May, where stakeholders discussed ways to reduce overreach in the labor, environment, resiliency, and green building arenas. Keynote speaker Dominic Mancini, an administrator at the White House Office of Management and Budget, emphasized the need for reform.
NAHB has helped moved the needle, but much hard work remains. The association will continue to work with White House representatives, legislators, regulators, and industry stakeholders to fix the rulemaking system. Excessive regulations have taken a toll on home builders and homeowners alike, and NAHB will do everything in its power to ease this burden.
