Page 8 - GSABA Builder Brief March 2020

KRISTI SUTTERFIELD Executive Vice President
Elections Matter
Early voting in the March 3rd primary election ended February 28th, 2020. Primary elections are important because it lets the voters decide who they want on the November ballot.
Your vote has never been as critical as it is today. The Association’s grassroots programs offer many opportunities for you to influence the political process and stay engaged with public policy that affect your business. We must continue to come together to elect pro-housing, pro-business candidates to local, state and national offices. With an unprecedented number of retirements and resignations this year, it has never been so crucial for our industry to elect qualified people who will put housing first.
On April 8th, your Association is hosting a 3-PAC event to raise money for BUILDPAC, HOMEPAC and SABPAC. Each of these PAC’s play a key role in electing qualified candidates who champion our issues. I wanted to share a few details on each of the PAC’s with you in this month’s issue of the Builder Brief.
On the national level, BUILDPAC is the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) bipartisan political arm and is critical to NAHB’s success on Capitol Hill. In the last election cycle, BUILDPAC raised over $3.1 million and endorsed 245 candidates for the U.S. Senate and House with an impressive 85 percent of those endorsed winning their seats.
BUILDPAC fights diligently to protect the global economic progress fostered by the U.S. home building industry. Members work to stave off tax, legislative and regulatory policy changes that threaten the future of the home building industry and, ultimately, that of the American economy.
The Texas Association of Builders (TAB) has a very successful PAC called HOMEPAC. On the state level, HOMEPAC represents our interest in all state races. TAB tracks changes to state laws and regulations that could be detrimental to your business and bottom line. Law prohibits donating funds from HOMEPAC in federal election campaigns so contributions are earmarked to support candidates at the State level only.
TAB’s government affairs program is nationally recognized for its innovation and legislative success. The effective efforts of TAB’s government relations team have resulted in the defeat of bills that would potentially harm our industry and add significant costs to home building and, in turn, to the home buying public.
The home building industry is among the most regulated industries in the country. In Texas, several regulatory agencies govern the practice of construction, including the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), and Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Our ongoing involvement is key to staying on top of policy that could impact the success of home building.
The San Antonio Builders Political Action Committee (SABPAC) is GSABA’s local PAC and your personal contribution is an investment in the future of homebuilding in the San Antonio metropolitan area. This is an essential part of our advocacy program that covers 22 counties in the region.
Our industry and the people we serve are counting on you to help maintain a strong business environment that continues to create jobs and make the American dream of home ownership a reality. Your participation in the 3-PAC Fundraiser Skeet Shoot event with personal contributions will go a long way to support the home building industry on a local, state and national level. Please join us April 8th as we come together as an Association to raise the money needed to ensure a strong future for home building. Visit sabuilders.com to sign up today!
Warm regards,
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MARCH 2020 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
FROM THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT