I received the following letter from Nancy Seats, President of Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings. Many of you may have seen the TV news stories about shoddy construction and business practices among some builders in the metro area. The focus was on the misery some folks in south Johnson County and elsewhere in the metro area have gone through. Representative Merrick, who has been very supportive of neighborhood issues, responded as Nancy describes.

Two weeks ago Overland Park resident Julia Barton requested that Representative Merrick introduce a bill very similar to a Senate bill in MO. His action has been quick and effective. I want you all to be aware of, and make an attempt to attend, a hearing on House Bill 2835 on Thursday morning Feb. 21, 9:00 AM in Room 521 S. at the State Capitol in Topeka. If there are any last minute changes regarding the time and place I will inform you by e-mail.

HB 2835 will address problems with new home construction, scam remodelers, and predatory lending. This has happened so quickly that I do not have a copy of the bill at this time. I know that it is almost identical to Senate Bill 635 introduced in MO by Senator Harry Wiggins. You can read this bill by going to the MO State web site at: www.state.mo.us/ [The Kansas Bill is available at this this site by typing in 2835 under Full Text of Bills.]

We need this hearing room full of people who support this bill. I would ask each victim to write the facts of your problem and print a copy for each person on the committee. If for some reason you can't attend this hearing please write about your concerns and mail a copy to each member of the committee. To learn who is on this committee go to the KS State web site: www.state.ks.us./

Address your testimony to: Members: House of Representatives: Business, Commerce & Labor Committee Your written statement can be longer than spoken testimony. My guess would be that you will be limited to one or two minutes. testimony. It is important to have the room full of people whether you want to testify or not. They need to see that many voters are aware of the serious problems in residential housing.

It is exciting that Representative Merrick got right on this issue when Julia contacted him. I believe that we have raised the awareness of serious problems so that our elected officials are finally listening. Let's not let Rep. Merrick down. Come to Topeka to show him your support on this important issue.

Please feel free to forward this to any victims in KS, as well as your friends so that they can participate.

Nancy Seats, President
Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings (HADD)
Member: National Alliance Against Construction Defects
816-781-1891