WBA and NAHB

PLEASE SELECT THE WBA LINK FOR ALL OTHER STATE ORGANIZATION WEBSITES

WBA - Wisconsin Builders Association

The Wisconsin Home Builders Association, formed in 1947, is a trade association of professionals involved in Wisconsin's shelter industry.

Our goals are insuring the health of our industry, the growth and development of our members and decent, affordable housing for the citizens of Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Builders Association owns an office building in Madison, Wisconsin. The office serves as a permanent headquarters for promoting and protecting the interests of the building industry and housing consumers throughout the state. The headquarters is on Madison's northeast side and is conveniently located for meetings and visits by membership.

A full-time staff of five operates the association out of the headquarters building. The staff provides a broad range of services to the membership ranging from representation with the governor's office and the state legislature to educational seminars and publications to quality insurance programs.

The annual budget of the Wisconsin Builders Association supports full-time representation in Madison as well as the operations of a subsidiary... the Home Owners Warranty Council, Inc. of Wisconsin. The WBA also publishes a magazine called The Badger Builder, that is widely respected as the official voice of the building industry in Wisconsin. In addition, a toll-free number is maintained by both the state and national associations to answer members' questions and concerns.

The WBA Offers You:

• Total legislative involvement in Madison with the governor's office, the state legislature and state agencies.
• Professional publications like The Badger Builder magazine.
• An annual convention with many educational opportunities and nationally known speakers.
• Comprehensive group health, disability and life insurance packages as well as a business insurance plan.
• Collection service for bad debts through a nationally recognized firm.
• The Home Owners Warranty Program (HOW) -- a wholly owned subsidiary that keeps government regulation in the home warranty area to a minimum
• Awards recognizing outstanding leadership and achievement among our membership and our local associations
• A public relations program that keeps our concerns and positions on crucial issues in the media
• BLDR-PAC, a political-action committee that has grown into a recognized force among our state legislators
• Presentations by WBA leadership and staff to keep your local members informed and involved
• The Graduate Builders Institute -- a nationally recognized continuing education program for Builders and Associates
• Apprenticeship programs to insure a steady supply of skilled labor to our industry
• Market research to better understand the construction industry in Wisconsin and the future needs of the housing consumer

The WBA has accomplished many things to make our industry better:

• Won sweeping modifications of the PSC's electric extension rules
• Defeated legislation which would have required each municipality to adopt tough soil erosion control ordinancesEliminated all limits on the use of the mound private sewage system
• Supported and helped to pass legislation federalizing Wisconsin's Capital Gains Law
• Repeatedly helped defeat unworkable landlord-tenant legislation and condominium restrictions
• Supported and helped to pass legislation prohibiting the PSC from establishing or enforcing construction or occupancy standards
• Led the effort to adopt the Uniform Dwelling Code, which eliminated the confusing tangle of local building codes
• Spearheaded the effort which resulted in a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that DILHR does not have to perform environmental assessments on individual building plans
• Led the fight to establish Wisconsin's original Revenue Bonding Program for home mortgages administered by WHEDA
• Defeated attempts to require two-hour noncombustible firewalls in all multi-family construction
• Filed a brief in the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prevent cities from requiring public improvements as a condition of subdivision plat approval in extraterritorial areas

NAHB -- National Association of Home Builders

The National Association of Home Builders offers you:

• A vast library with highly skilled staff to research and respond to your industry questions
• An annual convention/trade exposition with products and equipment on display from more than 1,000 firms
• Excellent publications such as the Nation's Building News, Builder Magazine, and Housing Economics
• Skilled professionals who are available for seminars
• Free legal research and counsel through the automated Westlaw Program
• Professional representation of your interests with the President, the Congress, and the federal bureaucracy
• Continual monitoring of building codes and standards to insure up-to-date and reasonable regulations
• Continual review and interpretation of economic and marketing data to assess its impact on our industry
• Excellent training and apprenticeship programs for those interested in construction employment
• Programs for special segments of the building industry like remodelers, multi-family builders, land developers and sales and marketing employees
• Architectural and engineering advice on matters relating to construction and development
• BUILD-PAC, one of the largest trade association political action committees in the nation

The NAHB has accomplished many things to make our industry better:

• A leadership role in attacking the shelter industry's biggest enemy... the huge federal budget deficit
• Spearheaded the efforts to reinstate the use of tax-exempt revenue bonds for home mortgages
• Launched a major long-range campaign to have NAHB members seated as delegates to both major national political conventions
• Succeeded in stopping implementation of building industry performance standards
• Is undertaking a major regulatory reform effort, aimed primarily at educating local officials about their role in housing "affordability"
• Helped win depreciation reform, estate and gift tax reform, and capital gains tax rate reductions
• Consistently fought off efforts to eliminate the home mortgage interest tax deduction
• Won a class exemption in ERISA law to allow pension funds to invest in home mortgages
• Senior officers meet regularly with the President of the United States to insure that housing issues receive the highest possible attention
• Achieved the passage of the first free-standing Housing Bill in more than seven years that secures housing's place as a national priority

Click here to join the Home Builders Association