Page 8 - Builder Brief April 2021 Issue

2021 PRESIDENT
HOUSING POLICY MATTERS
We must make our voices heard
We must come together as an industry and as an association to make our voices heard as it relates to Housing Policy. The GSABA leadership team has been fully engaged on the local, state, and national levels and I want to give you a brief update.
On the local level, we have held virtual and in person meetings with Mayor Nirenberg and a majority of the San Antonio City Council members. We have had Zoom calls with three Bexar County Commissioners, SAWS CEO Robert Puente, and CPS Energy CEO Paula Gold-Williams along with her executive team to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the residential home building industry. We continue to work regularly with the City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department (DSD) along with DSD’s in other municipalities as well.
Texas’ 87th Legislative Session is in full swing in Austin. The bill filing deadline has now passed and the House and the Senate are down to business in a session that is vastly different than any session in history. Committees will now have bill hearings, but they will not meet as often as in years past due to space limitations as well as health and safety protocols.
We expect to see reforms to change the way our energy markets are handled; how electricity is delivered to homes and the national gas supply. We are tracking legislation that has been filed that would help or harm our industry.
Please join us for Rally Day on Tuesday, April 13th in Austin, Texas. We have a bus rented that will leave GSABA at 8:30am and return by 5:30pm the same day. We reserved four meeting rooms at the DoubleTree Suites on 15th Street (across the street from the State Capitol) where we will meet face-to-face with several of our Senators and Representatives. There is more information in this issue of the Builder Brief on Rally Day with details on how to register.
On a national level, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) continues to move rapidly and is aggressively engaging the Biden administration to urge policymakers to take immediate action to address skyrocketing lumber prices and supply shortages that are harming home builders, home buyers, remodelers, and the economy.
As you know housing affordability is one of my priorities this year. The housing affordability crisis continues to put housing further out of reach for millions of American households. We must engage policymakers and communicate the challenges and material shortages we are facing as we continue to advocate for more favorable housing regulations.
Housing Policy Matters. It matters to you and it matters to me but most importantly, it matters to our community. Home and community can provide a foundation for a productive life in good times and in tough times.
ED BERLANGA
National studies show that home ownership leads to improved education opportunities, better health outcomes and success at school and work.
I hope to see you in Austin for the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) statewide Rally Day on Tuesday, April 13th.
Sincerely,
8 APRIL 2021 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION