“Thank you for keeping me in the loop re: state and federal legislation that applies to our industry. The newsletter is informative and keeps us aware of what’s happening in the country throughout the year. ”
— Cyndy Q., Past President – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter
And we’re off! 2022 is the start of a new legislative calendar year for many states across the country. 46 states – with the exception of Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas – will be in session throughout the year and NKBA will be sure to monitor pertinent legislation in these states, the U.S. Federal Government, and Canada, on behalf of our members. As always, feel free to reach out and suggest any legislative topics you want to see in our monthly newsletter! Thanks to Cyndy from the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter for her kind words above. Always happy to hear from NKBA members!
FEDERAL ACTIVITY
U.S. Building Standards: Federal Government partners with states and other parties to create the Building Performance Standards Coalition, a first-of-its-kind partnership dedicated to delivering cleaner, healthier, and more affordable buildings.
U.S. COVID-19 Relief: Bipartisan group of Senators introduce legislation to improve the popular Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program through streamlining the application process and combating fraudulent applications.
U.S. Water Efficiency: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) restores federal efficiency standards for showerheads and dishwashers, overturning a Trump Administration ruling.
Canadian COVID-19 Relief: Ontario announces extension of Paid Infectious Disease Leave (Paid IDEL) until July 31, 2022.
Canadian Building Electrification: While Quebec and Vancouver pursue building electrification initiatives, Ontario bucks the trend of building electrification by pursuing new natural gas heating infrastructure
STATE ACTIVITY
California: Showdown between state government and local governments intensify as new construction laws go into effect to try and alleviate the rising cost of housing.
Iowa: Draft Bill 5327 has been pre-filed which would require a contractor, prior to entering into a home improvement contract, obtain a home improvement contractor’s bond in the amount of $75,000.
New York: Governor Hochul throws support behind the building electrification movement with the goal that all new construction is zero-emissions by 2027, while New York City already is taking steps to implement building electrification.
North Carolina: Governor Cooper vetoes House Bill 220, which would have prevented local governments from banning new natural gas hookups in their communities.
West Virginia: House introduces Bill 2518 which would allow an oral contract to be used to perform any home improvement transaction.
COVID-19 RESOURCES
To keep current on what individual states are doing to combat COVID-19, this interactive map, online platform and resource center might be of interest. The interactive map shows all COVID-19-related legislative activity that each state has enacted, while the online platform and resource center provide important information related to COVID-19. Interested in learning more about COVID-19 vaccinations? Track vaccination doses by state here.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Federal and State Legislative Contacts
Interested in some of the topics above? Don’t forget to contact your Federal and State Legislators to let them know your thoughts! Legislative staff are available to answer any questions on legislation, or walk you through governmental processes.
NKBA Legislative Contact
NKBA will monitor relevant legislative developments at the state and federal levels, and, where appropriate, provide information to members concerning material issues and developments — including laws and regulations that might impact the kitchen and bath industry. If you have any questions or comments on legislation or have suggestions on topics you want to see in future newsletters, please reach out directly to Steven Campeau, NKBA’s Governance Manager, at scampeau@nkba.org.
NOTE: NKBA is providing this material for general information only. This information does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax/investment advice, accounting services or professional consulting of any kind, nor should it be construed as such. NKBA is not a lobbying organization and does not have a Political Action Committee (PAC). Resources such as this are meant solely for informational purposes.
