Government Affairs Issues
Local Issues
• City of Houston 2009 IECC Amendments
• GHBA has been involved with the City of Houston Public Works Department to ensure that any changes to drainage requirements are reasonable including a delay in removing an exemption from Chapter 9, the Drainage Ordinance, to determine the most beneficial way to accomplish the goal.
• Continued work with the City of Houston Planning Commission regarding potential changes to Chapter 42, the COH Development Ordinance, including additional land use restrictions.
• GHBA has been heavily involved in communicating with counties to adopt the provisions of HB 2833 to ensure that everyone is meeting the same bar. Harris County and Galveston County have both adopted the provisions of the bill. For a detailed Fact Sheet of HB 2833, please click HERE.
State Issues
• Texas Transportation Commission – Special Meeting: On January 5, 2011 the Texas Transportation Commission (TCC) convened to address several items on the agenda on the purview of the Commission. An agenda item of our particular interest included the report on the status of development of the Grand Parkway in the Houston and Beaumont districts. The report detailed various segments of the entire parkway including market valuation and primacy issues. Read more
• During the 2009 Texas Legislative Session, the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) was able to secure several key pieces of legislation and prevent others.
• TAB amended a bill that prohibits a municipality from implementing a new fire sprinkler requirement if they did not have one in place on January 1, 2009. This is saving homebuyers in several municipalities thousands of dollars.
• With the Sunset of the TRCC, TAB was able to secure legislation in HB 2833 which allows a county to ensure that homes are being built to code by requiring the builders to get inspections and report the outcome to the county.
• GHBA provided testimony at several interim legislative hearings involving building codes and land use.
• GHBA Government Affairs staff helped in working hard to kill bills that were not beneficial to our industry.
Federal Issues
• Call to Action AD&C
When Congress returns on May 2, lawmakers will be introduced to the Home Construction Lending Regulatory Improvement Act. The legislation addresses the lack of liquidity in the AD&C loan market and allows banks to start lending again.
The bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA) and Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) targets specific regulatory obstacles to credit availability for the home building industry. By directing federal banking regulators to issue new guidance specifically addressing key regulatory areas, this legislation will free lending institutions from the overly restrictive regulations that have resulted in the current lending crisis.
Following are some materials for review:
Text of the AD&C legislation | Section by section analysis of the bill
Talking points on the bill | List of original co-sponsors of the bill
After you read up on the issue, ask your lawmaker to co-sponsor the bill and help the nation's economy get back on its feet. If you are unable to meet with your representative while they are home for spring recess, please call them at 866-924-NAHB (6242) or email them at www.capitolconnect.com/builderlink.
GHBA understands the importance of closely monitoring bills of interest and has been working to ensure our industry is protected. The bill watch is a summary of state legislation that has been brought to our attention, and we are actively working with legislators to fine-tune or help move along through the process.
• Housing Finance Reform: As Congress debates the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the housing government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), NAHB believes that it is crucial for the federal government to continue to provide a backstop for the housing finance system to ensure a reliable and adequate flow of affordable housing credit. Read more
• Tax Reform: Congress has begun discussing possible changes to the tax code to promote efficiency. In doing so, it is essential that Congress take the right approach to foster economic growth. Few industries have struggled in the past years as much as residential construction, and it is critical for future economic prosperity that Congress not harm job creation and recovery in the construction industry by increasing taxes on homeowners or homebuilders. Read more
• Houston Chronicle: Sunday, April 24, 2011 - Houston Delegation Congressional Report Card
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