Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« Reading Tonight | "If your right hand causes you... »

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Chopp + The BIAW: What’s Not in the PI

posted by on March 12 at 10:12 AM

An important detail is missing from this morning’s coverage of Rep. Frank Chopp’s counter-proposal to Sen. Brian Weinstein’s homebuyers’ bill of rights legislation.

While some accounts explain that Chopp (who killed Sen. Weinstein’s bill late last week at the behest of the Building Industry Association of Washington) crafted his alternative proposal (a study!!) with Democratic Rep. Mark Ericks (D-1, Bothell), they fail to report that Rep. Ericks was the guest of honor at last Tuesday’s BIAW fund raiser at the BIAW’s offices in Olympia.

Killing Sen. Weinstein’s bill—which would have guaranteed a warranty for consumers when they buy a new home (allowing consumers to sue contractors for faulty or shoddy work)—was the BIAW’s top legislative priority this year. The powerful conservative lobby—which bankrolls the GOP—also maxed out to Democratic Rep. Ericks last election cycle.

No wonder the proposal strikes Sen. Weinstein as a joke. Here’s Sen. Weinstein in this morning’s PI:

Weinstein ticked off reasons why Chopp’s plan doesn’t do enough for consumers. “There’s no cause of action, no right to go to court.

…a task force to study whether consumers should have the right to sue is “comical,” he said, noting that fellow Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee voted to allow consumers that right.

“If he considers this a good-faith proposal, I say, ‘Thank you,’ but to me it’s a joke,” Weinstein said.

It’s not the first time Weinstein had harsh words for Chopp. When Chopp killed the senator’s home-warranty bill last year, Weinstein said Chopp was acting like a dictator, according to news reports [ here ; )].

Despite the omission about Rep. Ericks, I’m glad this issue is getting so much good coverage.

I’ve been tracking this seemingly picayune issue all session (or as David Postman has it, I’ve been “the primary rouser of the rabble” on it.)

But it wasn’t until the TV stations and partisan liberal bloggers (who are typically averse to criticizing Speaker of the House Chopp) started covering the issue that Chopp was forced to come out with his BIAW-friendly plan, confirming the primary equation of Frank Chopp’s universe.

RSS icon Comments

1

Josh, please stop characterizing this as "at the behest of the BIAW". Other groups are also opposed to this bill, such as the American Institute of Architects, the Assoc of Washington Cities, and Washington Realtors, three groups who generally act in the interest of citizens and homebuyers. They are not opposed to this bill in principle, but because they have specific technical objections. If Weinstein and others can craft a better bill, it will receive broader support.
From the AIA/WA website:
"From the perspective of AIA/WA, the bill has many negatives. It uses a few of the provisions of the Condominium Act reforms, but leaves out many of the provisions that have worked to improve construction and reduce litigation. It expands liability with new warranties, but provides little protection from meritless suits."

Posted by grumpypants | March 12, 2008 11:07 AM
2

I think the BIAW has a little more clout than the AIA. And the BIAW has been a more vehement and public source of opposition.

Posted by Hernandez | March 12, 2008 12:00 PM

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).