During the 84th Texas Legislative Session, the legislature passed House Bill 1736 which mandated a new minimum energy code for most new residential construction and some remodeling work beginning on September 1, 2016. In September, …
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GHBA Hosts Senator John Cornyn for BUILD-PAC Fundraiser
On September 23, the GHBA hosted Senator John Cornyn for the fourth consecutive year for a fundraiser to benefit the NAHB’s BUILD-PAC. The event, co-hosted by GHBA past president and NAHB’s incoming BUILD-PAC chair, Eddie …
What’s Not Being Said About MUDs
Recently, the Houston Chronicle published an article about a Municipal Utility District, Fort Bend County MUD 187, and the dissatisfaction of some homeowners that the MUD might issue bonds, which they believe could raise their …
What You Need to Know About the New Statewide Energy Code
Beginning with all new homes permitted September 1, the statewide move to the 2015 energy code ushers in some significant changes for single-family and low-rise (three stories and lower) multifamily construction. The catalyst for these …
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NAHB Defender of Housing Awards
In late September 2016, the NAHB announced its recipients for the inaugural Defender of Housing Award in the 114th Congress. The award was given to legislators that have a strong record of standing with the …
GHBA Gets the First Quarterly Progress Report on Special Revenue Fund
As we have previously reported, in the fall of 2015 the City of Houston Planning and Development Department (P&D) introduced a proposal to create a special revenue fund (SRF) to collect development fees, along with …
Alisa Merritt Joins GHBA as Government Affairs Coordinator
The association is proud to welcome Alisa Merritt to Team GHBA as the new government affairs coordinator. Alisa will act as the staff liaison for the Codes & Standards Committee and the Young Professionals Committee. …
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It’s Good to be in Houston, Texas!
Well, not so much in the summer. The Houston Association of Realtors reported that Houston set a record for the first half of 2016, with over 36,000 sales. This was a 2.7% increase over the …
GHBA Submits Letter Regarding IRS Proposed MUD Regulations
Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released proposed Treasury Regulations which, if enacted, would greatly change the guidelines for defining a “political subdivision” for purposes of issuing tax-exempt bonds. Specifically, to be considered …
Texas Comptroller Offering Waiver Regarding Sales and Use Tax
As part of an ongoing effort to help Texas businesses ensure they comply with state laws, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts has initiated an outreach program to help educate homebuilders about their tax liabilities …
2012 CODE WORDS Effective Immediately
The City of Houston publishes an interpretation document referred to as CODE WORDS to provide a single source of written interpretations, policies, procedures and information to aid in the successful administration of the Construction Codes …
City of Houston Planning Department’s Expedited Review Process Updated
The City of Houston’s Planning and Development Department has announced updates to the recently implemented Expedited Review Service. Please note the expedited review process is for the Planning and Development Department review only. Following are …
OSHA, OSHA, OSHA
OSHA Reaches Confined Spaces Litigation Settlement On May 24, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a statement regarding the settlement to the agency’s Confined Spaces in Construction final rule. This settlement comes …
A Commitment to Public Service
The GHBA mission is to “provide advocacy, education, professional development and valuable services to its members and to the home building industry.” Some GHBA members truly take this mission to heart by serving in advocacy-related …
Texas Moves to 2015 in 2016
Article by GHBA Codes & Standards Chair Dave Yelovich, Tilson Home Corporation Have you heard the big secret? Not many people know this but there are big changes coming in how we build houses in …