Page 8 - Builder Brief December 2020 Issue

KRISTI SUTTERFIELD Executive Vice President
87th Texas Legislature
Kicks off January 12, 2021
Now that the November 3rd elections are over, we are focusing on the upcoming Legislative Session that will kick off on January 12, 2021. This session will be like no other session in the history of our state. The state is forecasting billions of dollars in shortfalls to the state budget due to the COVID-19 impact, redistricting and tax collections among other things.
The State of Texas and local municipalities will be looking for revenue due to these massive budget shortfalls. The residential construction industry has been a bright spot during the pandemic with housing starts up and by all counts—
permits, inspections and fees have increased as well. We must be prepared to defend our industry against tax and fee increases. One of the most serious threats to homebuilding and housing affordability is the possibility of the Legislature passing a construction labor sales tax.
Here are a few of the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) priorities this session:
y Defend against tax and fee increases on the residential construction industry
y Defend anti-product mandate legislation
y Continuation of Plumbing License Law/Fire Sprinkler mandates prohibition
y Defend plan/plat review legislation and work on possible improvements to the Local Government Code y Oppose locally mandated sick leave ordinances and other local occupation regulations
y Support reforms to the multifamily tax appraisal appeals process
As you can see, our industry will be playing a lot of defense and your support is critical. Over the past several years, GSABA’s leadership and members have worked hard to build strong relationships with our local, state, and national elected officials. We had a great turnout at the 3 PAC event that was held in October and our members raised thousands of dollars in personal funds to support pro-housing and pro-business candidates and incumbents.
The Texas Association of Builders (TAB) along with their 28 local associations will host a statewide Rally Day on Wednesday, February 24th. While the State Capitol may have limited access, GSABA has secured ample meeting space at the DoubleTree Hotel across the street from the Capitol to meet with our Texas House of Representative members and State Senators. We have already extended invitations and to date, we have eight (8) elected officials confirmed to join us at our meetings and luncheon. We expect a large turnout and invite you to join us for Rally Day.
We have rented a luxury bus where everyone can socially distance. We will leave the Association’s parking lot on Wednesday, February 24th at 8:30 am to travel to Austin and the bus will leave Austin at approximately 3:30 pm to return to San Antonio. There will be more information on how to sign up for Rally Day in the January 2021 Builder Brief. Members can also drive their own personal vehicles to participate; valet parking will be available at the hotel.
We will have four teams led by our Government Affairs Co-Chairs and we will also provide an agenda and talking points to each of our members in advance of the meetings with elected officials and their staff members. We will host a seated luncheon with them at the DoubleTree at 11:30 a.m.
This is an incredible opportunity for our members to share critical information with our representatives and the negative impact to housing on any of the proposed pieces of legislation listed should bills be filed. March 12th is the 60- day bill filing deadline, and it will be imperative for us to make our voices heard. As of press date (November 24th), 839 bills have been filed and we expect thousands more to be filed before the deadline.
Thank you for your continued support of GSABA’s government affairs and advocacy efforts. Your commitment truly
makes a difference!
Warm regards,
8 DECEMBER 2020 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
FROM THE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT