Page 10 - Builder Brief January 2023

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT IN AUSTIN AND WASHINGTON IN 2023?
The 2021 87th Regular Legislative Session was unlike any session Texas had experienced. The state and nation were in the midst of COVID-19; on February 15th, our state was hit by winter storm Uri, and the House of Representatives had an open race for the Speaker of the House.
The Texas Association of Builders (TAB), is gearing up for the 88th Texas Legislative Session that begins January 10th and runs through May 29th. By all assessments, this session won’t be an easy one.
Shad wrote in his article this month that TAB’s priority legislative agenda will concentrate on the cleanup of the Residential Construction Liability Act (RCLA) and make substantive changes to the Statute of Repose. The TAB Government Affairs Committee met in November and overwhelmingly agreed that these two pieces of legislation should be our priority this session.
However, there are going to be numerous issues we are going to have to play defense on including:
y City/County Plan/Plat Review Process
y State Energy Code/SECO
y County Regulation Issues/Dual ETJ Oversight Authority (Cities & Counties)
y Prohibiting Local Paid Sick Leave/other Employer Mandates
y Property Tax Reform, Development Restrictions, MUD’s, Special
Districts & More
We have strong working relationships with our elected officials, and we sincerely need your support for TAB’s upcoming statewide Rally Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 29th, when we will meet with each House Member and Senator in person. Our chartered bus will leave GSABA at 8:30 am and return by 7:00 pm that evening. There will be more details on the event on the GSABA website in mid-January and a link for you to sign up to ride the bus or attend the all-day event in Austin.
Our state is changing, and Texas’ population has increased by 470,708 people since July 2021, the most significant gain in the nation. Roughly half of that growth came from net domestic migration — the number of people coming to Texas from other states — while the other half was split almost evenly between net international migration and natural increase, which is the difference between births and deaths.
Earlier this year, a separate (unofficial) estimate from the Census Bureau indicated that population figures derived from the Bureau’s American Community Survey showed Hispanic Texans made up 40.2 percent of the state’s population in 2021, while non-Hispanic white Texans made up 39.4 percent. The Bureau’s official population estimates as of July 2021 showed the Hispanic and non-Hispanic white populations virtually even in size.
KRISTI SUTTERFIELD
Housing is critical. We are having explosive population growth and a housing shortage. We will need your help getting much-needed housing legislation passed and defeating legislation that will create barriers to housing, especially affordable housing.
While the political landscape in Texas and Austin has changed, it is also changing in Washington, D.C. Eight days after the midterm elections; Republicans were able to claim a narrow victory in the House. Democrats retained the Senate with a slim 51-49 margin with the re-election of Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) over Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Georgia.
The anticipated GOP wave did not happen, and the electorate is split down the middle. Regardless of the final House and Senate tallies, any legislation that President Biden will sign into law this next year must be bipartisan. The next speaker of the U.S. House can most likely get the 218 votes needed to move legislation, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) does not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Both parties must compromise to move any legislation forward in the next Congress, including critical housing legislation.
Don’t forget that our San Antonio Mayor and the entire City Council are up for re-election in May. We will need to work together to elect pro- housing and pro-business people to the City Council. Our next Government Affairs meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 21st, at 1:00 pm in the GSABA Ballroom, immediately following the Board meeting. We will meet with the City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department (DSD) team and invite you to join us!
10 JANUARY 2023 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION