GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
GHBA Advocacy Report GHBA Legislative Priorities for 84th Texas Legislative Session
In Session
The 84th Legislature convened on January 13. Since that time, much has transpired.
In the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick kept his promise and eliminated the long standing (68 years, to be exact) two-thirds rule. Under the new rule, only 19 senators out of 31 must agree to bring a bill to consideration.
By CASEY WATTS MORGAN, GHBA Vice President and Director of Government Affairs
Also, in the Senate, the number of committees shrunk from 18 to 14. Lt. Governor Patrick scrapped the committees on open government, jurisprudence, economic development and government organization. From the Houston delegation, the following senators have been tapped to chair a committee: John Whitmire will head the Criminal Justice Committee (one of only two Democrats chairing Senate committees this session); Larry Taylor will lead the Education Committee; Joan Huffman will chair the State Affairs Committee; and Robert Nichols remains in control of the Transportation Committee.
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If you have questions about this article or would like to get involved on the
Government Affairs Committee, call (281) 664-1430 or email Casey at
cmorgan@ghba.org. 12
In the House, San Antonio Representative Joe Straus was unanimously re-elected as Speaker, carrying 85 percent of the vote from his col- leagues. This session will be Straus’ fourth term as Speaker of the House. Straus has now surpassed all but three former reps in their tenure as Texas Speakers.
With these changes, there has been a flurry of legislative activity. In fact, this month on March 8, legislators will face the bill filing deadline, which leaves a mere 11 weeks before sine die or adjourn- ment on June 1.
Locally, the GHBA is already following a number of bills. GHBA’s legislative priorities include increased transportation funding; supporting a statewide energy code adoption and amendment process;
protecting private property rights; increasing access to career education in the home building industry; and continuing to educate legislators on the critical role MUDs play in the Houston-area home building industry.
Increased Transportation Funding
Increased transportation funding remains a top concern for home builders even after the passage of Prop 1 in November. Prop 1 is expected to net approximately $1.2 billion per year, but according to TXDOT, the state has a total of $5 billion of un- met transportation needs each year. This session, GHBA will support legislation that ends diversions from our highway funding for issues not directly related to road building/maintenance and dedi- cates a significant portion of motor vehicle sales tax receipts to the highway trust fund.
Statewide Energy Code Adoption
With the increasing inflexibility of energy codes, mostly created by a select group of manufactur- ers and out-of-state groups, GHBA will join the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) in supporting legislation that provides for longer review cycles of energy regulations, allowing for more comprehensive training. GHBA and TAB will also support energy code legislation that establishes a state advisory board of industry professionals and stakeholders in order to provide guidance on proper energy code implementation.
Protecting Private Property Rights
Protecting private property rights has always been a top priority for the GHBA. Whether it
Continued on page 14 MARCH 2015 | HOUSTON BUILDER | GREATER HOUSTON BUILDERS ASSOCIATION – BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
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