[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS ON ITS 75TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

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                        HON. BLAINE LUETKEMEYER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 2017

  Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the National 
Association of Home Builders on its 75th Anniversary.
   Founded in 1942, NAHB represents the interests of the nation's home 
building industry and helps create a business environment that 
facilitates home building, enables more Americans to achieve 
homeownership, and provides rental housing at all price points.
   As an organization, NAHB is much more than builders and remodelers. 
Its membership includes building trades professionals, architects and 
designers, developers, and representatives of countless industries that 
provide goods and services in support of the residential construction 
industry. This includes engineering, insurance, financial services, 
building product supply, transportation and many others.
   The goal set forth in the Housing Act of 1949 of ``a decent home and 
a suitable living environment for every American family'' has been a 
guiding principle for NAHB and its members, and they have made great 
strides in achieving that goal. During NAHB's 75 years, the total 
number of housing units in the United States has more than tripled, 
growing from about 35 million to almost 136 million.
   The nation's standard of living has also increased significantly as 
a result of the hard work of NAHB members, who build roughly 80 percent 
of the new homes constructed in the U.S. each year. A look back shows 
how far we have come since 1942, when more than 30 percent of the 
nation's homes had no running water or flush toilets, almost 40 percent 
had no bathtub or shower, 18 percent needed major repairs, almost 60 
percent lacked central heat, and 20 percent of occupied units were 
overcrowded. Now, virtually all homes have complete plumbing systems 
and central heating, and many fewer homes are considered overcrowded or 
in need of major repairs.
   NAHB members were instrumental in these significant advances in the 
quality of the nation's housing and the resulting improvement in the 
quality of life and standard of living in our country. Through the 
decades, those same members have also been at the forefront of 
innovation, helping to make the nation's homes significantly more 
resource efficient and sustainable.
   Equally important, NAHB members are vital to the social fabric of 
their local communities and are actively involved in a multitude of 
civic and philanthropic endeavors. America's home builders are also 
essential to the nation's economic health. Home building accounts for 
roughly 16 percent of the total U.S. economy.
   Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor and congratulate NAHB on the 
organization's 75th Anniversary. I ask my colleagues in the House to 
join me in acknowledging the important role that the residential 
construction industry has played over the last 75 years in the nation's 
economy and the lives of its citizens.
   And I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking the National 
Association of Home Builders and its members for serving the nation 
through their ongoing commitment to building the nation's homes and 
communities and in urging them to remain steadfast in their efforts to 
meet the housing needs of all American families.

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