|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
NSA Meeting Draws Record
Crowd More than 100 representatives of leading subcontractor companies filled a meeting room to hear how the Nevada Subcontractors Association will seek legislation to reform Chapter 40, the state statute that deals with construction defects. Senator Randolph Townsend was the special guest, and praised the subs for their efforts to reform Chapter 40 last session. Townsend called for the subcontractors to educate his fellow lawmakers, and form coalitions with other contractors and industries to build the clout needed to have construction defect lawsuits addressed by the Nevada Assembly. The Senate passed reform measures in 2001, but the bill died in the Assembly Judiciary committee. Townsend said the battle next session will be fought in that house. "We’re talking about the Assembly. You’ve made your case in the Senate," Townsend said. "How many hours has my committee spent on your issue? More than any other with which we’ve dealt, and we still didn’t win." Passions ran high when NSA President Doreen Coddington spoke about the personal nature of having a family business and being sued for defective work. "My company, Cedar Roofing, was started by my father in 1963. It’s really disheartening to see what’s it doing to our value," Coddington said. "I get emotional when I see what’s it doing to homeowners and our employees. The only way to fight is to unite." Senator Townsend chairs the powerful Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, and said he’ll continue to argue that contractors be allowed to repair defective work without first being sued. He concedes it won’t be an easy task, partly because the issue has been skewed. "Why is it so unrealistic to get the right to repair? As a guy in the car business, it’s simple. When you take your car in for service and it’s not done right, you don’t call your lawyer, you call your service manager. But not in this arena. The first call is to a lawyer," Townsend said. "We’ve become a society where everything is somebody else’s problem. Am I going to sue the guy who made the dessert because I’m overweight? That’s the thinking here." The Senator said that the building industry must unite, or risk losing ground yet again. "We must find resolution for differences between a builder and the subs," he said. "If you are split, there is nothing a legislator can do for you." Bruce King, Pete King Corporation, reported that a coalition has been formed to accomplish that. "I’m happy to tell you that the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association voted to participate in the coalition. That didn’t happen two years ago," King said. "ABC, AGC, SNHBA and NSA are right now forming into a coalition with a single purpose and single voice." King echoed Townsend’s call for unity. "We’re going to give a little, the builders are going to give a little, and go up North with a single voice," King said. "We will not allow anything to come between builders and subcontractors." NSA Executive Director Cindy Nevin said that such a coalition is the best way to get the job done. "We will be united on all fronts. The lobbyists, the legal team, the executive directors of the organizations, and the memberships will all be working together," she said. She said the NSA will make an effort to bring Northern Nevada contractors, realtors, mortgage companies and insurance companies into the coalition, and that a key part of their efforts will be to educate homeowners. "When we educate homeowners that they won’t be able to sell these ‘defective’ homes," she said, "And that they’re not going to get the money to have them fixed and only the lawyer has made multiple millions on the lawsuit, it’ll be the trial lawyers against everybody else." Air conditioning contractor and NSA founding member Darren Wilson, Sierra Air Conditioning, said of the coalition, "Starting the coalition has helped us a whole bunch. We’re excited. Our whole board is. Builders, AGC, ABC and subcontractors are all working together." The next meeting will be in June. Call 702-736-6686 for more information. Link to information about the "COALITION FOR FAIRNESS IN GOVERNMENT" |
|
|
Call (702) 615-7644 |
