NRLA | Legislative Links

Topics:

Green Building
Certified Wood
Housing Data
Identity Theft
Labor
Land Use
Small Business
Smart Growth
Lead
Lien Law
Toxic Mold
Transportation

Green Building

The Green Building Initiative (GBI) -- The GBI is a not-for-profit organization supported by a broad cross section of groups and individuals interested in promoting energy efficient and environmentally sustainable practices in residential and commercial construction.
http://www.thegbi.org/home.asp

U.S. Environment Protection Agency -- Green Buildings. http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/

U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) -- The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

Dr. Patrick Moore, “The Sensible Environmentalist” -- From his early days as the co-founder of Greenpeace, Patrick Moore has been unafraid to speak his mind. The sensible environmentalist campaign was born of frustration. What began in the 1970s as a politically-centered, science-based vision of environmentalism has been replaced with extremism and rhetoric. Science and logic have been abandoned and the environmental movement is often used to promote other causes such as inequality between the rich and poor and anti-corporatism. Many of Moore's ex-colleagues are now his critics. But, true to form, that in no way diminishes his commitment to share his knowledge and opinions, and to participate in the public dialogue on environmental issues.
http://www.sensibleenvironmentalist.com/F1.cfm

Massachusetts Department of Revenue Regulations -- Tax Credits for Energy Efficient Efforts
Click Here to View Residential Property Credits

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency -- Information on State, Local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
http://www.dsireusa.org/

Certified Wood

Forest Certification Resource Center -- Developed and maintained by Metafore, the Forest Certification Resource Center (FCRC) provides comprehensive, objective information and customized tools to a broad audience interested in forest management, forest certification and responsible wood and paper purchasing. http://www.metafore.org/?s=147

Forest Stewardship Council -- FSC is an international not-for-profit membership-based organization that brings people together to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices and to reward good forest management.
http://www.fsc.org/en/

Sustainable Forestry Initiative -- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) program is a comprehensive system of principles, objectives and performance measures developed by professional foresters, conservationists and scientists, among others that combines the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the long-term protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality.
http://www.sfiprogram.org/

Forest News Watch -- Forest News Watch is an independent news provider based in Montreal, Canada, successor of Forest Certification Watch. While initially focused on forest certification and responsible procurement, Forest News Watch has progressively expanded its coverage, which now includes sustainable forestry, public and corporate forest policy, forest certification, illegal logging, responsible procurement, corporate social responsibility, carbon forestry and related matters.
http://forestnewswatch.com/

Housing Data

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -- National Data on Housing Production 2007
http://www.huduser.org/periodicals/ushmc/spring07/USHMC_Q1_07national_data.pdf

National Association of Home Builders -- “Building Permits by States and Metro Areas.”
http://www.nahb.org/fileUpload_details.aspx?contentID=55104

National Association of Home Builders -- "Housing Starts"
http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=45409

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -- “ U.S. Housing Market Conditions, 1 st Quarter-May 2005.”
http://www.huduser.org/periodicals/ushmc/spring05/USHMC_05Q1.doc

National Conference of State Legislatures -- List of state legislation addressing eminent domain ruling.
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/natres/post-keloleg.htm

Institute for Justice -- Civil liberties focused law firm that represented the homeowners in the Supreme Court Case, Kelo vs. New London.
http://www.ij.org/

Small Business

New York State ESDC Small Business Program Directory
http://www.nylovesbiz.com/pdf/smallBusiness/DirectoryofSmallBizPrograms0909.pdf

Smart Growth

National Association of Home Builders
http://www.nahb.org/page.aspx/category/sectionID=221

Smart Growth Online
http://www.smartgrowth.org/Default.asp?res=800

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -- "Encouraging Smart Growth."
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/

"Getting to Smart Growth, 100 Policies for Implementation" -- This primer from the Smart Growth Network and International City/County Management Association (ICMA) serves as a roadmap for states and communities that want to implement smart growth policies.
http://www.smartgrowth.org/pdf/gettosg.pdf

Lead

EPA Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule Information

Lien Law

VRLDA Lien Law Handbook -- "Pursuing and Enforcing Mechanics' Liens in the State of Vermont." Published by Vermont Retail Lumber Dealers Association, Northeastern Retail Lumber Association, and John C. Gravel, Esq. of Bauer, Gravel, Farnham, Nuovo, Parker & Lang Attorneys at Law.
http://www.nrla.org/leg-regAffairs/VRLDALienLaw2.pdf

MRLDA Lien Law Handbook -- "Perfecting Liens Under the New Massachusetts Law 2003."
http://www.nrla.org/leg-regAffairs/MALienLawBooklet2003.pdf

Connecticut Mechanics' Lien Law
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2001/pub/Chap847.htm#sec49-33.htm

New York Mechanics' Lien Law
http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMMONQUERY=LAWS

Vermont Contractors' Lien Law -- (The statute begins with Section 1921, "Extent of lien; notice")
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/sections.cfm?Title=09&Chapter=051

Maine Lien Law
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/10/title10ch603sec0.html

Massachusetts Lien Law
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/gl-254-toc.htm

Rhode Island Mechanics' Lien Law
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE34/34-28/INDEX.HTM

New Hampshire Lien Law
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/NHTOC/NHTOC-XLI-447.htm

National Lien Law
http://www.nationallienlaw.com

Seyfarth Shaw Attorneys, LLP - Fifty State Lien Law Notice Requirements
http://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/news_item/67de6bdd-0297-4d8f-98db-8fd9d77ecbab_documentupload.pdf

Toxic Mold

Terry Brennan and Joseph Lstiburek -- 2001-2005, “Healthy and Affordable Housing: Practical Recommendations for Building, Renovating, and Maintaining Housing.”
Click Here To View

OSHA's A Brief Guide to Mold in the Workplace
http://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib101003.html

National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/mold/default.htm

Environmental Protection Agency -- "Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings"
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/mold_remediation.html

Transportation

Vermont Agency of Transportation -- Town/Municipal Highway & Bridge Weight Limits
http://www.aot.state.vt.us/dmv/TownHighwayPages/TownHighwaySearch.asp