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Government Affairs

Eric Golemo

Eric Golemo is the Chair of the Government Affairs Committee. He owns SGA Engineering & Design and serves on the BIA Board of Directors. Email Eric

Jamie Howsley

Jamie Howsley is the Chair of the Building Industry Group (PAC) board. He is an attorney at Jordan Ramis PC and serves on the BIA Board of Directors.

A primary objective of the BIA is to provide issue advocacy before local governments on a host of tax and regulatory issues for the building industry. The Government Affairs Committee is responsible for prioritizing the advocacy direction and resources to address them. The top issues affecting the building industry include the following:

    • Growth Management – The BIA supports responsible implementation of the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA) through the adoption of a balanced Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan should set Urban Growth Boundaries to include a 20-year supply of buildable land to ensure affordable housing and economic growth.
    • Environmental Regulations – The BIA supports environmental regulations that are based on proven, relevant science and that are balanced against their economic impacts.
    • Affordable Housing – The BIA supports market driven pricing of homes to provide affordable housing to homebuyers at all income levels.
    • Taxes and Fees – Each new home includes $71,000 or more in taxes and fees.* For this reason, the BIA believes that it is imperative to review all proposed tax and fee increases to ensure that they provide true benefit to the homebuyer and do not unnecessarily increase the cost of housing. *University of Washington 2007 Study on Median House Prices.