Reps. Mann (R-KS), Alford (R-MO), Correa (D-CA), Finstad (R-MN), Olszewski (D-MD), Edwards (R-NC), and McGuire (R-VA), co-chairs of the House Real Estate Caucus, introduced the Build American Efficiency Act to identify BABA compliant materials.
What’s Included in the Bill:
- Clarification that the HUD Secretary has the authority to recognize auditable and verifiable systems that document products that comply with BABA requirements;
- Allows HUD to treat documentation generated under the Make It American Process Standard, or similar standards that provide an auditable and verifiable certification process, as sufficient evidence for domestic content certification;
- Could help manufacturers, builders, and funding recipients more easily determine which products comply with BABA requirements;
- Could reduce time spent navigating waiver requests, duplicative paperwork, and uncertainty over which products have or have not been approved; and
- The bill does not mandate the use of any one database or prohibit recipients from using other lawful methods to certify compliance.
Yes, but: While this bill provides a pathway to identify which products are BABA compliant, it doesn’t go as far as the Build Housing Affordably Act (Reps. Flood and Goodlander) to reform BABA guidance or the waiver process at HUD.
