Page 8 - Builder Brief August 2024

2024 PRESIDENT
A LOOK AHEAD: NOVEMBER ELECTIONS AND THE 89TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION
One of the highlights of my year as your President was attending the Legislative Day in Washington, DC, hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). It immediately followed the 2024 May runoffs, and the results will significantly impact the future of the home building, remodeling and development community.
Congressman Tony Gonzales retained his seat in Congress by a very slim margin, a testament to the intensity of the election. Low voter turnout and unprecedented spending were two of the main topics of the primary cycle.
The GSABA leadership team called on all our members of Congress during this trip providing critical information to them on the energy codes, transformers, workforce development and overreaching federal regulations. The meetings were well attended, and our elected officials were open to recommendations and solutions to the residential homebuilding industry’s most challenging issues. Part of our success with our elected officials is that we meet in person and communicate with them several times a year.
We must all get involved as we look to the November elections and the next legislative session in Austin. The Texas Association of Builders (TAB) recently announced that Rally Day 2025 will be held on Tuesday, February 11th, in Austin. This is also one of my favorite events to attend and is held every other year when the Legislature is in session.
It is important to have at least 80 GSABA members attend this one-day event at the Capitol. As we have in the past, GSABA has chartered a bus for transportation to Austin from San Antonio for members, secured a room at the DoubleTree Hotel, a very short walk from the Capitol, where our legislative luncheon will be held with our state elected officials. We need member involvement and support; this will not be an easy session.
Speaker Dade Phelan defied the odds and won the runoff after finishing second in the primary. Seven state legislator incumbents (out of nine) who faced 2024 runoffs lost their elections. Nine Texas House incumbents lost their elections outright in March. This means that over 20% of the Texas House of Representatives will be new when the 88th Legislature convenes in January 2025. The Texas Senate will have two new members in open seats.
The residential homebuilding and remodeling industry provides over 758,000 jobs and more than $71.5 billion annually to the Texas economy. We all play a crucial role in providing homes and housing for Texans and our local community. There is strength in numbers, and our elected officials want to hear from you.
We have many great events planned in August and September. The 8 AUGUST 2024 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
TIM PRUSKI
Clay Shoot on August 14th is sold out, but lunch tickets are still available to network at the event. Our next Government Affairs meeting with the City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department (DSD) will be held at 1:00 p.m. immediately following the Tuesday, August 20th Board of Directors meeting in the Ballroom.
Don’t miss our August Membership Mixer on Thursday, August 22nd, at Lighting, Inc. from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and the Professional Women in Building PWB Bingo Night is on Thursday, September 12th. We invited Trainer Dave Yelovich back (by popular demand) to teach a Building Science Lunch & Learn on September 19th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Dave is a Code Geek, and the last class he taught at GSABA had over 75 attendees, so register today. The cost to attend is $15 and includes a hearty lunch.
We are proud to announce that our membership is 800+ companies strong as of August 1st, representing over 10,000 people in the residential homebuilding, remodeling, and development business. I want to thank Membership Chair Jeff Kuwamura, Co-Chair Domnick Alongi, GSABA Director of Membership Darlene Willis, and every member who has worked membership the past year. Thank you to Randy Oliver with Hollywood Crawford for being our Title Membership Sponsor. We couldn’t have done this without all of you!
Thank you for being a member of GSABA.
Sincerely, Tim Pruski