2017 State Legislative Session

2017 State Legislative Session Wrap-Up - Bill Ethier, CEO

2017 Resolution for a Better Connecticut - with Economic Impact of Housing and Housing Permit Data

Legislature to hold veto session July 24 - to review and possibly override Governor's four (4) vetoes.

Governor's bill notifications - bills signed or vetoed

An Emerging Housing Crisis? - by Bill Ethier, CEO, HBRA of CT (written in 2014, still relevant today)

The HBRA of CT's advocacy and issue policy efforts are governed by the association's Government Affairs Committee, a diverse group of HBRA members from across the state. Advocacy and policy work is managed by professional staff.

All HBRA members are invited to participate on the Government Affairs Committee, or any one or more of its issue specific GA Task Groups. You DO NOT need to know anything about the capitol or how lobbying works; what we need is your experience and expertise on industry issues - just contact Bill Ethier, HBRA CT's CEO, at bethier@hbact.org.

Home Building Industry Day at the Capitol - April 26, 2017

Most legislative committee deadlines have now come and gone.  Our priority issues below focus on those bills surviving the committee process (except for HB 6372, still in Finance).  These priority bills are the Issues List we will likely present at our Annual Home Building Industry Day at the Capitol (to be held on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, 7:30 - 12 noon) (subject to change on a daily basis):

• HBID Registration & Sponsorship Form - SIGN UP to Sponsor or to come to Hartford on April 26
• HBID AGENDA
  
• HBID Issues List (preliminary draft; final list posted week of April 17)
  
• HBID Issues List Talking Points (all Talking Points subject to change as bills are acted on by the legislature):
• • Housing, Economic & Business Development:
    
  • • Support SB 1036, Creates a Property Tax Exemption for Homes Under Construction
      
    • Support HB 6332 and HB 5416, companion bills Improving the Regulation of Wastewater
    • Support SB 818, HB 5584, HB 7063, Several Pro-Business bills to Improve the Regulatory Process and Assist Small Business Entrepreneurs
    • Support SB 944, Allows Nonconforming Buildings and Structures to Continue if Demolished for the Purpose of Repair
  • Labor:
  • • Support HB 6461, Adopts Unemployment Compensation System Reforms
    • Oppose SB 747, Prohibits "On-Call" Shift Scheduling for Employees
    • Support SB 353, Expands the 1:1 Journeyman:Apprentice Hiring Ratio to the First Three Apprentices
  • Crumbling Concrete: 
    
  • • Support SB 806, Creates a Fund to Assist Homeowners with Crumbling Concrete Foundations
    • Oppose HB 7175, Requires Concrete Companies to Test Aggregates Used in Concrete Mixing for the Presence of Pyrrhotite and Prohibits Foundations with Concrete Containing Certain Levels of Pyrrhotite
  • Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals (CGS Sec. 8-30g):
    
  • • Concerns with HB 6880, An 8-30g bill that is OK, But Do Not Allow any Further Amendments to This Important Act
    • Oppose SB 535, Greatly Changes 8-30g by Creating Many New Ways to Deny an Affordable Housing Application and Creating More Municipal Moratoriums from the Act; Summary of changes to the Act in SB 535
      
  • Taxes:
  • • Support HB 6372, Repeals the Business Entity Tax; SB 6, Exempts ALL Social Security Income from Personal Income Tax; and SB 7, Exempts First $10,000 in Business Personal Property from the Local Business Personal Property Tax
      

Other key links and docs:

• FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS. Everyone has two state legislators who represent them (1 state representative, who serves in the state House; and 1 state Senator, who serves in the state Senate).
• • We strongly urge HBRA members to get to know their state legislators: Call them, email them, invite them for a cup of coffee and teach them about your business and the issues and concerns you have. The HBRA of CT debates issues and policies, delivers testimony and produces talking points, but much of our legislative success comes down to relationships our members have with legislators. Legislators want to do right by their constituents, and if you don't have even a casual relationship with them, then they will first think of other constituents.
  • We are also represented in Washington DC by federal legislators, i.e., a US Representative (Congressman or Congresswoman) and two US Senators; NAHB handles federal issues, whereas HBRACT focuses on the state legislature and state agencies.
• The Legislative Process in Connecticut
• Tips When Talking with Legislators
• Directions to State Capitol Building and Legislative Office Building (LOB), Hartford - the new Security/Screening Procedures noted on the directions have been implemented as of September 2014.
  
• Connecticut General Assembly web site.

Testimony provided by the HBRA of CT:

• Support SB 353, Allowable Hiring Ratios in Licensed Trades
  
• Support SB 191, Requiring DCP to Review Its Licensing Programs and Recommend Elimination of Those Not Serving the Public's Health or Safety
• Support HB 6410, Allowing New Home Construction Contractors (NHCC) to do Remodeling Work Without Having to Register as a Home Improvement Contractor (HIC)
  
• Support HB 5521, Changes to the Grace Period for Initial NHCC and HIC Registrations
  
• Support HB 5261, Exempting Emergency Home Repairs From the Required Three-Day Right of Rescission
• Concerns HB 5177, Incorporating the International Property Maintenance Code into the State Building Code
• Support HB 6673, Establishing a Municipal Option for a Property Tax Exemption for Model Homes
• Oppose HB 6926, Permitting Municipalities to Impose up to a 1% Buyer's Tax on Real Estate Transfers to Fund Local Open Space Purchases
  
• Support HB 5087, Suspension of Administrative Penalties for Certain First-Time Violations of State Regulations
• Oppose thirty (30) different bills, all Amending 8-30g (Affordable Housing Appeals Act)
  
• Support HB 6218, HB 6461 and HB 6202 - all positive unemployment compensation reforms
  
• Concerns HB 7092, Support requiring smoke detectors in all homes, but oppose doing so by removing the 1&2 family exception in the State Fire Safety Code
• Support SB 285, Providing Offset to Environmental Costs and Fines Through Investment in Environmental Remediation
• Support HB 6332, Requiring DEEP and DPH to jointly write regulations to process applications for alternative sewer treatment systems
• Concerns SB 649, Permitting Local Building Officials to Assess Fines for Doing Construction Work Without a Permit
• Support HB 6475, Prohibiting Zoning Commissions from Requiring Special Permits to Continue a Nonconforming Use, Building or Structure; Oppose HB 6928, Authorizing Zoning Commissions to Limit the Continuation of a Nonconforming Use, Building or Structure
  
• Support Eight (8) Bills that Improve the Business Environment in CT (SB 128, SB 399, SB 623, SB 818, HB 5226, HB 5583, HB 5584, and HB 7063)
  
• Support SB 794 and SB 905 re Crumbling Concrete Foundations, Oppose HB 7175 Requiring Testing Aggregates for Pyrrhotite
  
• Oppose HB 6004, re Land Use Applications and Disclosure of Certain Information
• Support SB 973, Creating a Residential Sustainable Energy Program
• Support SB 944, Prohibiting Abandonment of Nonconforming Use or Buildings if Demolished or Deconstructed for the Purpose of Repairing the Nonconformity
• Support HB 5416, Changes the Threshold for DEEP's Review of Community Water Systems from 5,000 gpd to 7,500 gpd
  
• Support HB 6327, Requiring DEEP's General Permits to go Through Normal Rulemaking Procedures in the Same Way as Regulations
  
• Support HB 6372, Repealing the Business Entity Tax
  
• Support SB 1036, Creating a Property Tax Exemption for Homes Under Construction
• Oppose HB 7298, Mandating Inclusionary Zoning in All Municipalities
• Support with Amendment SB 1037, Allowing Municipalities to Post Legal Notices on Their Web Sites Rather than Newspapers
  
• Oppose SB 1054 and HB 7322, Raising Income, Sales and Property Taxes
  

Things you should know about the state HBRA's advocacy work:

• What has advocacy done for you lately? - infographic
• HBRA CT's Housing Defense Fund (HDF) - for taking appeals and pursuing outside actions to make government more streamlined and reasonable - Please Contribute Today!.
• Click Here for session by session reports - see what we did in past sessions

Other policies and viewpoints:

• Regulatory Hurdles in Connecticut

• Land Use, Growth & Tax Policies: 30+ Changes Connecticut Must Make

• Early in 2014, the HBRA Joined CBIA's CT20x17 Campaign - Working together with CBIA and Chambers of Commerce to make Connecticut a top 20 state for business by 2017.  Work on this campaign continues in various forms.  HBRACT's CEO, Bill Ethier, serves on the campaign's 12 member Steering Committee.  See CBIA's "Kick Start Our Economy" for a quick summary of the campaign, or go to the CT20x17 web site.