Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to right sidebar Skip to footer

Reports

Builders Association of Minnesota Letter

BAM Letter to Jobs, Economic Development, Labor & Industry Conference Committee

The following is a letter drafted to Chair Hassan; Representatives Nelson (M), Xiong, Olson (L), Berg, Chair Champion; Senators McEwen, Mohammed, Hauschild, Gustafson

 

May 1, 2023

Re: BAM Written Testimony; SF3035

On behalf of the Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM), I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share written testimony. Our membership of nearly 1600 residential builders, remodelers, subcontractors, and industry partners are joined together through eleven local associations across Minnesota, and we are proud to be the statewide voice of the Minnesota Home-Building Industry since 1974.

BAM Strongly Opposes

  • Onerous Wage Theft Language In The House Bill: While BAM supports efforts to mitigate wage theft, BAM opposes this massive new liability mandate from HF1859 (Feist) that unfairly and impractically holds contractors and project owners of construction sites liable when a subcontractor(s) is alleged to have committed wage theft. This provision will increase the cost of housing as the language attempts to turn contractors and project owners into state regulators. Instead, BAM supports aggressive enforcement of the robust wage theft law passed in 2019.

BAM Supports

  • No Changes To Residential Energy Codes: BAM supports the Senate language, which does not make changes to the residential energy code.
  • Contractor Recovery Fund (CRF) Re Solar: BAM supports the House and Senate language as it relates to solar installers and the Contractor Recovery Fund. The CRF is funded by Minnesota’s licensed residential contractors, and we are proud of the role the CRF plays as a consumer protection tool. We also appreciate the Department of Labor’s ongoing stewardship of the fund.

Builders Association of Minnesota Letter

BAM Letter to Members of Housing Finance & Policy Conference Committee

The following is a letter drafted to Chair Howard, Rep. Agbaje & Johnson, Chair Port, and Senators Mohammed & Housley

 

May 1, 2023

Re: BAM Written Testimony; HF2335

On behalf of the Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM), I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share written testimony. Our membership of nearly 1600 residential builders, remodelers, subcontractors, and industry partners are joined together through eleven local associations across Minnesota, and we are proud to be the statewide voice of the Minnesota Home-Building Industry since 1974.

BAM Supports:

  • First Generation Homebuyer Downpayment Assistance Fund: We applaud both chairs for including robust funding, and thank Representative Agbaje and Senator Oumou Verbeten for authoring the legislation. BAM enthusiastically supports innovative efforts like this that will help create more housing units in the marketplace and address Minnesota’s troubling housing disparities gap. We urge the Conference Committee to adopt the Houses’ higher funding commitment ($150m).
  • Greater MN Infrastructure Grants: These grants to reduce infrastructure costs for new workforce housing underscore the need to help residential developers address housing affordability by reducing rising upfront costs across the state.
  • Housing Cost Reduction Incentive Program: BAM appreciates the Senate’s inclusion of this innovative local fee waiver program that highlights the need to reduce city and county fees to help lower housing costs.

BAM respectfully requests that these provisions be included your Conference Committee Report.

MNSCU

BAM Supports SF1177 (Putnam) Workforce Development

The following is a letter drafted to Chair Fateh, and Members of the Senate Higher Education Committee in support of SF1177 (Putnam) Workforce Development

 

March 15, 2023

Chair Fateh, and Members of the Senate Higher Education Committee

Re: BAM Supports SF1177 (Putnam) Workforce Development

Since 1974, The Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) has provided legislative, regulatory, and court protection for members of the Minnesota home-building industry. Our membership of nearly 1600 residential builders, remodelers, subcontractors, and industry partners are joined together through eleven local associations across Minnesota, and we are proud to be the statewide voice of the Minnesota home building industry!

BAM enthusiastically supports SF1177 (Putnam) which invests in MnSCU to educate and train Minnesota’s workforce by investing in equipment and learning environments, industry sector programming, and workforce development scholarships.

Among the three new degree fields for scholarship eligibility, BAM is excited that construction is added. Tomorrow’s workforce must be created today by increasing opportunities for students to choose rewarding construction careers.

We thank the committee for your consideration, and would appreciate your support for this much needed initiative.

Day at the Capitol

BAM Day at the Capitol – 2023 Legislative Priorities

Below is a letter that was used to raise Legislative Priorities to any attendees at the BAM Day at the Capitol. Additional Resources found below as well.

 

WHO WE ARE

Since 1974, The Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) has provided legislative, regulatory, and court protection for members of the Minnesota home-building industry. Our membership of nearly 1600 residential builders, remodelers, subcontractors, and industry partners are joined together through eleven local associations across Minnesota, and we are proud to be the statewide voice of the Minnesota home building industry! BAM advocates for legislation that creates opportunities for tomorrow’s residential construction workforce, increases overall housing availability, promotes housing affordability, and reduces one-size-fits-all mandates.

 

2023 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Construction Careers; Workforce Development (SUPPORT). Tomorrow’s workforce must be created today by increasing opportunities in high school and higher education for all students to choose family sustaining construction careers:

  1. BAM Supports SF1177 (Putnam), which expands Workforce Scholarships in higher education, to now include students in the field of construction, for 2-4 year degrees, certification, and classes. Currently this scholarship is funded at $4.5 million, and under the new bill it would grow to $25 million over two years.
  2.  BAM Supports MNSCU’s budget proposal in the Higher Education Committees which would create a “Center of Excellence” for Construction careers. BAM intends to be an advisor to the system on which careers, certification programs, and classes would be offered across the State.

Increasing Housing Units & Addressing Housing Disparities (SUPPORT).

  • BAM Supports SF22 (Oumou Verbeten) / HF12 (Agbaje) First-Generation Homebuyers Down Payment Assistance Fund, which will create 5,000 new first-generation homebuyers statewide over the next three years, by utilizing targeted down payment assistance (up to $32K per household).

New Wage Theft Requirements Shift Liability To GC’s & Project Owners (OPPOSE).

  • While BAM supports efforts to reduce or eliminate wage theft, BAM opposes SF1988 (Seeberger)/ HF1859 (Feist) which introduce new enforcement provisions that impractically hold contractors and project owners of construction sites liable when a subcontractor(s) is alleged to have committed wage theft! The bill specifies that a contractor entering into a construction contract assumes and is liable for any unpaid wages, fringe benefits, and resulting liquidated damages owed to a claimant or third party. Instead, BAM supports aggressive enforcement of the robust wage theft laws passed in 2019.

Costly Employer Mandates (OPPOSE).

  • Paid Family Leave: SF2 (Mann)/ HF2 (Richardson) would create a new, mandatory 24-week paid leave program for ALL Minnesota businesses regardless of size. Initially funded by drawing down $1. 7B of the state budget surplus, the program would be funded ongoing by imposing a .7% payroll tax, to be split between employees and employers. BAM joins industry allies in opposition to these well-meaning but massively expensive one-size-fits-all mandates. Instead, BAM supports preserving private employer rights to develop wage and benefit packages to retain employees and remain competitive.

Suggested amendments to improve the bill:

  1. Limit the leave to 12 weeks
  2. Adopt the scope of what is defined as a family member
  3. Exempt employers with 50 or fewer employees

 

Additional Resources:

First Generation Homebuyers & Paid Family/Medical Leave

Capital Gains Fact Sheet