BIAW leaders joined Lt. Gov. Denny Heck during their 2026 Legislative Action Day to present him with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Defender of Housing Award.

Awarded to leaders who “truly go above and beyond in their work to ensure housing attainability for all,” the NAHB Defender of Housing Award is a tremendous honor presented to governors or lieutenant governors by the NAHB State and Local Government Affairs Committee.

Kent Arola, BIAW’s 2025 President and a member of the NAHB State and Local Government Affairs Committee, presented Heck with the award.

“We celebrate Lt. Gov. Heck not only for his work to support the home building community in Washington today, but we also recognized his work to support housing attainability in Congress and his keen understanding of what it takes to help more families afford homes,” Arola said. “Quite simply: Denny gets it. He knows home ownership builds stronger communities, economic growth and generational wealth for families across our state and nation.”

In Congress, Heck chaired the Housing Task Force in the U.S. House of Representatives. The task force developed several reports credited with bringing an early spotlight to the housing supply problem.

He introduced the Yes in My Backyard Act (H.R. 4351), which aimed to reduce local regulatory barriers to housing production. He also sponsored the Reverse Mortgage Stabilization Act (H.R. 2167), passed into law in 2013, and sought to preserve the long-term financial health of the program.

As Lieutenant Governor, Heck has continued to advocate for pro-development housing policies. His office has produced reports on Washington’s housing affordability crisis, highlighting the economic and social impacts if the state doesn’t improve market conditions to spur new residential construction.

As a proponent of civil deliberation, he regularly schedules housing stakeholder meetings to support collaboration among diverse advocacy groups. Due to his expertise and approach to governance, Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Heck to lead the housing transition team for the first 100 days of his term, helping Ferguson craft housing priorities.

“Lt. Governor Heck has been a strong and effective advocate for addressing our housing shortage and providing the opportunity for home ownership for more Washington families,” said BIAW Executive Vice President Greg Lane. “He supports thoughtful, balanced and sound solutions, and is always willing to listen to, and work with, our membership.”

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