​MBA Pierce’s Government Affairs Efforts During COVID-19

MBA Pierce has been active on the government affairs front these last few weeks, working to mobilize members and jurisdictions as we all collectively respond to our changing world in response to COVID-19. Below we have a timeline of the work our team and Legislative Strategy Committee has accomplished the last few weeks:

March 18th: "Permitting Action Plan” Sent to Local Jurisdictions
We sent a letter to jurisdictions throughout Pierce County ahead of the eventual Stay-at-Home order, outlining a Permit Action Plan. This plan requested permit extensions for permits set to expire in the upcoming months, video inspection protocols to meet social distancing guidelines, and to request the appropriate entities to delay all code updates.

March 26^th: “Response to the Stay-at-Home Order” Sent to Local Jurisdictions
We sent a follow-up letter to local jurisdictions, addressing the Governor’s Stay-at-Home Order and clarification of construction as a nonessential industry. In this letter, we requested permit fee deferral, for jurisdictions to continue to intake permits, for inspections on active permits to still take place in a safe manner, and to reiterate other points made in our letter from the previous week.

March 27^th: Requesting Local Elected Officials to Petition the Governor’s Office that Residential Construction IS an Essential Industry
The Mayor of Lake Stevens and one of their Councilmembers drafted two separate letters (one for mayors and the other for councilmembers) and requested local leaders throughout Washington State to sign on, expressing their support to deem residential construction as an essential industry. We passed on their request and contact information. Several local leaders eagerly signed on.

March 30^th: Sent a Letter to the Governor, Requesting His Office Determine Residential Construction as an Essential Industry 
MBA Pierce’s Executive Officer sent a letter to Governor requesting that he reconsider his determination that residential construction is not an essential industry. Drafts of this letter were also sent to the local Mortgage Bankers Associations, so that they could send something similar on to Governor Inslee. Finally, our Legislative Strategy Committee sent out similar letters to the Governor, requesting that he determines residential construction to be an essential industry immediately, as well.

March 31^st: Sent Letters to the State Building Code Council Requesting a Delay in the Implementation of New Codes 
Our Legislative Strategy Committee sent letters to the State Building Code Council, requesting for the delay of the implementation of new codes during the midst of recent uncertainty brought on by attention being devoted to COVID-19. The Council meets later this week.