NAHB: Top 12 Accomplishments Summer 2012, Number 1; Lead Paint

As a member of the HBA of Greenville, you also are a member of the National Association of Home Builders. NAHB's 3,000 directors and 250 staff have been working hard on your behalf this Spring. In the series we will publish over the next 12 days we will highlight the Top 12 accomplishments during the Spring of 2012.

Accomplishment 1: Introduction of Lead Paint Legislation in the House

Responding to concerns expressed by NAHB Remodelers members and others during our Capitol Hill visits at the Spring Legislative Conference and on many other occasions, Reps. John Sullivan (R-Okla.), Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and a bipartisan group of original cosponsors introduced legislation to make much-needed improvements to the EPA’s Lead: Repair, Renovation and Painting (LRRP) rule.

H.R. 5911, the Lead Exposure Reduction Amendments Act of 2012, is similar to NAHB-backed legislation (S. 2148) that was unveiled earlier this year in the Senate to help home owners and remodelers better comply with the costly work practices and recordkeeping requirements of the lead paint rule without compromising safety standards. This bill would provide families with greater flexibility to decide on their own remodeling activities while assuring them that sound safeguards remain in place to protect against lead hazards. Among other improvements, the bill seeks to restore the opt-out provision for homes that are not occupied by young children or a pregnant woman – a change that NAHB estimates would save approximately $336 million per year in compliance costs. Having led the effort to get this critical legislation introduced in the House, NAHB subsequently carried out intense lobbying and a federation-wide letter-writing campaign to secure additional cosponsors. We continue to build bipartisan support to bring it to fruition in the House and Senate.