Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield

Springfield HBA

Strategic Plan (2011 – 2014)

KEY ISSUE AREA IV:

Advocacy

Note: Association advocacy can be categorized into four parts. (1) Regulatory advocacy includes working with regulatory staff (within the bureaucracy) for positive change. (2) Legislative advocacy includes working with elected officials to change, defeat or adopt laws or ordinances that are more favorable to the industry. (3) Political advocacy consists of effectively advocating in the electoral process to help elect similarly-minded officials to public office. It can include campaign contributions, volunteer efforts, campaign management, etc. (4) Legal advocacy is when an unfavorable or abusive law or enforcement method must be challenged in court via lawsuit. Of the four, political advocacy is the key to everything else. When successful, effective political advocacy makes regulatory and legislative advocacy also more consistently successful; and it renders legal advocacy unnecessary.

Goal 1: Protect the residential construction industry and home affordability through effective political, legislative, and regulatory advocacy.

We will accomplish this goal by implementing the following strategies:

Pass legislation to make the mandatory option of fire sprinklers permanent.

Build and develop existing relationships with municipalities and area governments in all counties of the HBA coverage area.

Formalize a system to identify and prioritize potential regulatory or legislative challenges and determine needed action.

Consult with or manage key election campaigns for strategically important area political offices.

Goal 2: Increase political action committee fundraising to $30,000 each year.

We will accomplish this goal by implementing the following strategies:

Establish a contribution requirement for board members and committee chairs and implement a unified strategy to solicit funds from the general membership.