Dallas Builders Lobby Legislators to Create Housing Market Change During Trip to Capitol Hill

As housing affordability and attainability slip farther out of reach for American families, a contingent of building industry professionals took their concerns to Capitol Hill in mid-June. 

David Lehde, director of government affairs for Dallas Builders Association, led the group, which included Dallas Builders Association members who also participate in coinciding meetings at the National Association of Home Builders.

The panel visited the offices of nine elected officials — Congress members Colin Allred, Michael Burgess, Jake Ellzey, Pat Fallon, Lance Gooden, Ronny Jackson, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Beth Van Duyne, and Marc Veasey.

“Housing is the centerpiece of kitchen-table issues,” Lehde said. “America wants our government to focus on issues that make this country work. The situation we’re in right now is threatening to harm the economic expansion of this country.”

Inflation and surging interest rates are negatively affecting the housing market, and industry leaders are honing in on specific matters with the hopes that bills can be passed to provide opportunities for those who want to build affordable homes in a timely manner, get approved for a mortgage, and buy a home. The agenda of the local contingent is bolstered by data produced and priorities set by the National Association of Home Builders. 

“Somewhere right now there’s a dad and a mom who have been working hard, saving up money and they want to get their kids into a home they can build memories in,” Lehde said. “Somewhere there is a single mom who would like to live closer to work so she could, say, make it to her daughter’s recital and won’t get stuck in traffic. Somewhere there is a couple that would like to retire in the town they grew up in. They need a mortgage they can afford on a fixed budget. All these people deserve to have a roof over their heads and a place they can call home. That’s our legislative approach, to continue to address those needs.” 

Legislative Priorities

Members of U.S. Congress are now in session and proved by taking meetings with the Dallas builders that they’re interested in issues that matter to local industry leaders, Lehde said. The Dallas Builders Association typically visits the lawmakers annually, but this year’s trip was their first time back since 2019. 

“We take a team of builders, architects, people from the title company side, people across the board, and we go up on the Hill,” Lehde said. “It was good to go back and take home-building to Washington.” 

Professionals in the building industry are facing historically high prices for construction materials. They’re also fighting excessive regulation and a lack of trained workers. 

“We need to avoid an environment where people become house poor or rent poor,” Lehde said. “If Washington is going to look at real-world issues, they need to look at this. Every office we talked to was receptive to our concerns. Housing construction and the value of its related services have an impact on the economy. Home prices rose 18 percent in 2021 nationally. That’s the biggest increase NAHB has seen in the national history of the home pricing index. That makes the affordability woes volatile.” 

Additionally, construction costs are 33 percent higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Economic expansion is at risk. Obviously, with inflation, mortgage rates are climbing,” Lehde said. 

In fact, those rates rose three-fourths of 1 percent on June 15, the day the contingent was in D.C.

“That means 1.3 million families are being priced out of the market,” Lehde said. 

Taking Action

At least one item on the Dallas Builders Association’s legislative agenda was checked off immediately. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act passed a few days before they visited D.C.

“It’s a new law that basically brings transparency to foreign-owned carriers,” Lehde said. 

Lumber prices also were discussed. Lehde said recent price declines are tied to buyer demand rather than policies. Additionally, home buyers are being taxed through tariff agreements with Canada, which can add more than $18,000 to the price of a home, he added. 

“We’re asking Congress to urge the White House to negotiate the softwood lumber agreement we have with Canada,” he said. “We’re urging support for the No Timber From Tyrants Act, which is legislation that would ban lumber imports from Russia but would ramp up timber harvesting from federal lands and manage against forest disasters like wildfires. That’s an important thing to keep in mind.” 

Thinking Positive

Lehde said he’s hopeful that new legislation, a new city director of development services, and a dedicated building community can ensure that families are able to buy and sell homes. 

“We still have people moving here from across the country,” he said. “There are concerns that our builders are going to have to start slashing prices. With interest rates surging, we have to look at who qualifies for a mortgage.”

Dallas builders have a highly publicized concern about the city’s permitting backlog, but Andrew Espinoza, the city’s new director of development services, says he’s prepared to address the mess that has plagued the Dallas area since 2020. 

“In Dallas, we’re concerned with permit delays,” Lehde said. “Let’s get that issue solved. Let’s get it fixed. There’s a new official there and he seems very attentive to that. We want to do our part with them to help get the issue solved. A lot of people will say the issue is housing affordability. You’ve heard me say, ‘housing attainability.’ Our concern is not just the American family trying to buy a home. We want to be competitive in that market as well and not priced out of the medium home market.”

The trip to D.C. gave a boost to those industry professionals who rely on elected officials to fight for them, Lehde explained. Their priorities were well-received and the local congressional delegation understands the importance of home-building. 

“They represent an area where demand for housing and home building is really important. The members we visit with on both sides of the aisle value this and are pretty receptive,” he said. “Housing is a pretty bipartisan issue. They understand the supply issue, the material cost issue, and how it impacts housing attainability for a working-class family. They understand the jobs it helps provide. Nationwide we’re facing a shortage of 380,000 construction workers. In the DFW area, it’s like 20,000 or 30,000. NAHB predicts we’re going to need to hire 2.2 million workers nationwide. We need Congress to continue to fund and promote job-training programs for careers in the home-building market.” 

So, what’s the single most important issue that weighs on the mind of David Lehde? There’s not a one-word answer. 

“I worry about all of it,” he said. “For the Dallas Builders Association, we’re going to continue to voice our members’ concerns about unnecessary regulations, increasing fees, and the need to protect homeowners’ property rights.”

Dallas Builders Association Executive Officer Phil Crone said he was proud of the work done on the trip. 

“Here’s to a successful Legislative Conference on Capitol Hill,” Crone said. “We are very grateful for the members who helped deliver a housing-first message to lawmakers and to Government Affairs Director David Lehde for organizing all of the meetings in a challenging time.”