Hello
The GHBA understands that you are completely consumed with COVID-19 and its impact on public health. With none of us having faced a crisis this sensitive and with the future so unknown, we thank you for your steadfast leadership during these difficult times.
On that note, we wanted to let you know that our association is here to help. With a situation this fluid and the landscape changing daily, we understand you are considering every option to our keep our citizens safe while maintaining some degree of normalcy. With that said, the GHBA would like to request that as future policy decisions are considered, the residential construction industry be deemed an essential service and be exempt from a possible “Shelter in Place” type of order.
Our members are committed to the health, safety and welfare of our workforce and the public. The residential construction industry is unique in that we can complete operations while exercising social distancing and following the latest CDC guidelines of 10 people or less on a work site. Further, providing residential shelter has become even more imperative as residents have been advised to stay home as much as possible.
Additionally, maintaining local residential construction operations will have a significantly positive impact on jobs as many trades professionals work by the hour. We want to keep this labor force working, especially when so many other sectors of the local economy are suffering.
In the event you determine that it is in the best interest of our community to issue such an order, we strongly encourage utilizing the language recently implemented by Dallas County where explicit exemptions were made for certain industries, including the residential construction industry.
GHBA is committed to education and safety. We have distributed OSHA guidance in light of COVID-19, provided worker educational resources online and will continue to communicate with our builder and remodeler members on any governmental update so that they may stay informed.
Most important, we value the opportunity to partner with you and urge you to recognize residential construction as an essential service so that our members can continue to work with you on the shared goals of providing residential housing and ensuring the public’s health. Please also see the
attached letter
circulated from our state association which outlines the language and criteria used by Dallas County and other states in their essential services declarations.
Sincerely,
Rob Hellyer
2020 GHBA President
Casey W. Morgan
GHBA Executive Vice President & CEO
