Blog of the Builders Association of Minnesota
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Hot Topic
What is NAHB Doing About the Price of Materials?
Hi! Kathe Ostrom, your Minnesota State Rep here asking, “Have you noticed the price of materials lately? What is NAHB doing about it?” The answer is NAHB is making efforts to decrease the impacts of the increase of material costs. Below is an economic summary and prediction for material prices and actions NAHB is taking. Economic Summary and Forecast The long drought in housing not only took its toll on home builders, but also on the network of suppliers and contractors builders rely on. And, it will take time to rebuild that infrastructure. For example, prices of oriented strand board (OSB) have doubled since April 2012, and framing lumber prices have gone up by 40% over the past six months. Producers of wood products and gypsum have pointed to productive capacity that was idled … [Read More...]
Government Relations
Contractor Registration Program Update
BAM received an update from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry on the Contractor Registration pilot-program. Registration is free and online at www.dli.mn.gov/register. Beginning September 15, 2012, the next phase of the contractor registration program begins. In addition to registering, contractors will also need to comply with the subcontracting requirements of the new law. This [...]
Legal Action
BAM Wins Lawsuit, Upholds State Building Code
A decision was issued today by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, in favor of the Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM), with a huge impact on residential construction in Minnesota. Without this ruling, any municipality in Minnesota would have been able to create a policy and use it to override the state building code; diluting the [...]
BAM Leadership Posts
2012 BAM Award Winners Announced
The outstanding accomplishments of four members of the residential construction industry were recognized by the Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) Wednesday, December 5th, 2012 at the annual BAM Awards ceremony in Minneapolis, MN. Congratulations to the 2012 Award Winners! (Click on a photo thumbnail below to see a larger version) KC Chermak, Pillar Homes Builder [...]
NAHB Updates
New Employment Eligibility Verification Form Required
Federal law places an affirmative duty on employers to verify the identity and work authorization of all newly hired persons through completion of the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 within three business days after the individual is hired. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a new Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The form [...]