Home Builders On Board With Build It Michigan Strong Legislation

Home Builders Association of Michigan joins the business and union coalition supporting Sen. Adam Hollier’s SB 431 as a way to control rising aggregate costs in home and road construction 

LANSING – The Build It Michigan Strong infrastructure coalition today announced that the Home Builders Association of Michigan has joined the team of labor and business groups supporting Senate Bill 431, which will expand aggregate mining to help build more houses and fix more Michigan roads at more affordable prices.  "Michigan’s home building industry faces pressures from workforce shortages and inconsistent local government regulations that make new construction more expensive. Rising costs limit our ability to meet Michigan’s pent-up demand for new housing and contribute to the inability of first-time home buyers to find affordable housing," said Lee Schwartz, HBAM Executive Vice President for Government Relations. “The last thing we need are additional cost pressures from a limited supply of the aggregates that are essential to the construction of every home, and that is why we support Sen. Hollier’s reform plan.”  The Home Builders Association of Michigan is a professional trade association comprised of 23 local homebuilder associations around the state and their builder, subcontractor and supplier members. HBA of Michigan works to positively promote the building industry and impact legislative, regulatory and legal issues affecting housing affordability.  SB 431 Saves Money As Costs Rise The Detroit News has pointed out that rising costs for road construction supplies are limiting the ability to get more roads fixed (More spending on Michigan roads blunted by rising costs).  Aggregate companies confirm that supplies are limited in areas, leading to wasteful spending as raw construction materials like sand and gravel are hauled across the state's roads and freeways to where they are needed most: "Mark Schlegel, owner of the Lansing-area Schlegel Sand & Gravel, said the supply shortage is real. Schlegel said he is fielding a growing number of purchase inquiries from road contractors in west and southeast Michigan who would typically rely on closer mines for cheaper costs. Shipping material across the state can be prohibitively expensive, he said, sometimes costing more than the gravel or sand itself." Unprecedented Coalition Backs the SB 431 Reform Plan The Build It Michigan Strong coalition backs a modernization of the PA 113 aggregate mining permitting process as sponsored by State Senator Adam Hollier, D-Detroit. The coalition brings together an unprecedented pairing of labor and business groups dedicated to rebuilding our state and growing our economy— without wasting taxpayer dollars.   Coalition members include:    HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN  MICHIGAN LABORERS DISTRICT COUNCIL (MICHIGAN LiUNA)  OPERATING ENGINEERS 324 MICHIGAN TEAMSTERS JOINT COUNCIL 43 MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MICHIGAN MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION MICHIGAN AGGREGATES ASSOCIATION MICHIGAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION MICHIGAN CONCRETE ASSOCIATION ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN  GRAND RAPIDS CHAMBER

To read more about the public policy under debate regarding SB 431, go to: builditmichiganstrong.com