Content about Congress

A change in federal tax law that decreased the take-home pay of working Americans is affecting household budgets, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF), a trade association.

The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) has released its national legislative and regulatory policy agenda for 2013, which will serve as a guideline for meetings with members of Congress and key administration officials on March 18 to 20.

By Ben Gann, Director of legislative affairs, NLBMDA

A combination of expiring tax cuts, automatic spending cuts and a need to raise the debt ceiling at the beginning of 2013 has led the United States on the verge of a “fiscal cliff.” Congress is unlikely to address the issue until after the November elections, creating more uncertainty in an already sluggish economy.

A new forecast from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) nearly doubles the expected increase in cement consumption for the year, attributing the boost to both changes in construction activity and the projected amount of cement used in future projects. Favorable weather conditions during the first half of 2012 was also a key contributor.

PCA revised its spring forecast upward, anticipating a 6.9% increase in 2012 from 2011 levels, followed by a 5.8% jump in 2013 and a double-digit increase of 10.9% increase in 2014.

On June 28, 2012, by a narrow 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on the grounds that the individual mandate penalty is a tax. Because the Constitution clearly gives Congress the ability to impose a tax, the Court ruled, all of the other questions surrounding the mandate are moot.

An increase in multi-family mortgage insurance premiums (MIPs), part of the current administration’s fiscal 2013 budget proposal, will slow down construction of apartments in secondary markets, a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) representative told Congress on June 7. 

A triumph for the “light bulb freedom” movement, which opposed the phaseout of traditional incandescent bulbs starting Jan. 1, 2012, may turn out to be a hollow victory. Supporters had hoped to delay the implementation of the new energy-efficient light bulb standards with a rider on the 2012 Omnibus funding bill. Congress passed the bill right before Christmas, along with the light bulb rider, which bars the Department of Energy (DOE) from enforcing the planned phaseout of 100-watt energy-inefficient incandescent bulbs.

An article in HCN Monday about Congress’ move to delay enforcement of the 100-watt incandescent bulb phaseout generated several comments, many positive.

Here are some of the responses:

“Finally, a small glimmer of sanity in Washington -- listening to the majority of consumers/voters rather than forcing a political agenda.

The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) applauded Congress for reinstating the higher conforming loan limits for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) through 2013, helping reduce uncertainty for an already fragile housing market. 

By increasing the loan limits guaranteed by FHA to $729,750, Congress has taken a step to stabilize home values while enabling creditworthy consumers to get home loans with the best mortgage rates, lowest fees and better down payment requirements, the NLBMDA said.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, during a hearing held earlier this year, told Congress: “We’re not Sherwin-Williams paint. We don’t cover the earth equally.”


The exchange confirmed HCN’s position that slogans matter — a case we made in this space back in 2009. Among the notable slogans highlighted here were those of Sherwin-Williams (Cover the Earth), McCoy’s Building Supply (Go Build Something) and Lowe’s (Let’s Build Something Together).


President Obama’s jobs-creation package, unveiled last week and already en route to Congress, is offering no relief for the housing industry, according to economists interviewed by the Los Angeles Times.