Published: October 09, 2009 08:58 pm      

Homebuilders award legislators as ‘Champions for Housing’

EDMOND — An Edmond legislator was honored recently by the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association for his legislative efforts on behalf of the industry.

Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, was honored as “Champions for Housing” at a recent legislative awards reception held by the homebuilders. He was honored for helping to keep housing safe and affordable. He is shown above with Mark Dale, right, legislative committee chairman of the state homebuilders association.

Lamb was honored for efforts in passing the Notice of Opportunity to Repair Act. This law is considered by many as an example of tort reform. It calls for the homebuilder and homebuyers to try and reach an agreement over any alleged construction defect before going to court.

“This measure obviously would keep litigation costs at a minimum and also help keep insurance costs low,” Dale said. “Lower operating costs are passed on to the homebuyer.” Also, Sen. Debbe Leftwich, of Oklahoma City, and Rep. Fred Jordan, of Jenks, were honored for their efforts in passing Senate Bill 306. This law mandates that before any building permit can be issued, the issuing entity, cities or counties, must verify that the contractor has workers compensation and general liability insurance.

Also honored was Sen. Randy Brogdon, of Owasso, along with Rep. Jordan, who sponsored Senate Bill 1182, which created the Uniform Building Code Commission. This commission will be responsible for developing a state building code.

The Oklahoma State Home Builders Association is a federation of more than 12 associations statewide with more than 3,000 members. Members include builders, remodelers, developers, suppliers, manufacturers, architects, engineers, real estate brokers, lenders, attorneys and other industry professionals. For more information, visit www.oshba.org.