NLBMDA outlines policy agenda

The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) kick-started the new year with a 16-page document that spells out the trade group’s position on a number of issues affecting lumber dealers across the nation. Called the “NLBMDA 2009 National Policy Agenda,” the document addresses a variety of topics: the housing industry, immigration reform, free trade, affordable health care, the estate tax, green building mandates, union balloting and safety standards in the workplace, to name just a few.

"Simply put, the [agenda] will lay out in a clear and concise manner the issues of importance to the LBM industry in Washington and the principles we will use going forward to evaluate whether we will support or oppose an issue," said NLBMDA president and CEO Michael O'Brien in a prepared statement. "Public policy makers will know exactly where we stand as an industry."

Under development since September 2008, several NLBMDA committees, along with the board of directors, worked on the policy agenda.

Copies of the document will be distributed to members of Congress and key administration officials, the trade group said, as well as to elected representatives in lumber dealers' home districts and states. The agenda will also be used during the NLBMDA members' annual visit to Capitol Hill, scheduled for March 16 to 19, 2009.

To obtain a copy of the NLBMDA national policy agenda, visit www.dealer.org.