By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The number of multifamily permits pulled in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties rose 53 percent during the first quarter of 2017, compared to the same period last year. Single-family permits declined 8 percent. Meanwhile, King and Snohomish counties continue to see less than a months’ supply of housing inventory for sale during April. The low supply coupled with strong demand has continued to drive home prices up.

The Builder’s Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, U.S. Census Bureau, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

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By Shoreline Area News

It was the perfect day. Sunshine and warmth provided an ideal opportunity to give back to someone who struggles with moving safely inside and outside his home.

 86-year-old Leonard Dickey has bad knees and uses a walker to get around the first floor of his Shoreline home. He is unable to walk up and down stairs safely and confidently due to the inability to lock his knees.

Read article

By Rachel Fausnaught, PrimePay

Revisions to the list of acceptable documents

The Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) has been added to List C. If you’re filling out the Form I-9 online, you will be able to select this form from the dropdown menus. Using e-verify? You can also select Form FS-240 when creating a case for an employee who presents this document for Form I-9.

All the certifications of report of birth issued by the Department of State (Form FS-545, Form DS-1350, and Form FS-240) have been combined into selection C #2 in List C. 

All List C documents except the Social Security card have been renumbered. Example: The employment authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security on List C has changed from List C #8 to List C #7.

What to do

Employers can continue using the older version through Sept. 17. On Sept. 18, you must use the revised version. You’ll notice the revision date of 07/17/17 N at the bottom of the form. Storage and retention rules for any previously completed Forms I-9 remain the same. Find more details on that here.

Penalties for noncompliance

Just last year, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nearly doubled fines for violations with Forms I-9.

There is a $216–$2,126 fine per Form I-9 paperwork violation. That’s an increase from $110–$1,100.

For unlawful employment of unauthorized workers, the fine for the first offense increased to $539–$4,313 per worker from $375–$3,200.

For unfair immigration-related practices, specifically document abuse, the fine per individual increased to $110-$1,110. Learn more about the fines and penalties.

Where to find the latest form

It's in PrimePay's resources section. Access the resources and choose the payroll forms tab.

PrimePay is a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. PrimePay empowers small businesses to thrive by offering integrated payroll, HR, and benefits administration with superior support to back it. Learn more at primepay.com.

The original article was published by PrimePay.