Dallas Builders Association Members Encourage Lawmakers to Protect Texas Housing
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As Texas experiences unprecedented growth, policymakers must consider the demand for housing at an affordable price.
That’s the position of the Dallas Builders Association and one that its members communicated directly at the state Capitol in Austin last week.
Phil Crone, executive officer of the Dallas Builders Association, joined a local cohort and advocates from other home builder associations around the state to talk with lawmakers at a Rally Day on March 29.
About 80 members visited 35 legislative offices in Austin. Rally Day is a regular event for the Dallas BA when the Texas Legislature is in session. They also visit members of the U.S. Congress annually.
“Association members and staff reminded the representatives and senators that … the economic benefits that new home construction and remodeling bring to the state cannot be ignored,” Crone said. “Home building provides $71.5 billion and 758,000 jobs in Texas annually.”
Setting Priorities
Texas Association of Builders’ priority issues, according to its Government Affairs portfolio, include property rights, taxes, county authority, transportation, and career and technical education.
Crone testified on House Bill 3826, which closes loopholes in an 18-year-old statute that provides applicants a refund on permits that are delayed or ignored beyond 45 days, or 75 days if the built-in extension is used.
“We estimate that delays in Dallas over the past few years have added more than $42 million to the cost of housing,” Crone said. “Had this bill been law prior to 2020, homeowners in Dallas would have received around $3.6 million in refunds. Similarly, HB 14, which is one of the Speaker’s priority bills, provides applicants with relief from inspection delays by allowing the use of qualified third parties if certain deadlines aren’t met.”
The Dallas Builders Association service area includes the districts of a quarter of the members of the Texas Senate and one-fifth of the Texas House, Crone explained.
“As priority bills of the Texas Association of Builders and the Dallas BA have recently begun hearings, including two on Rally Day, the show of economic strength our members provided was as important as ever,” Crone said in a Rally Day recap posted on the Dallas BA website.
Legislators were made aware of necessary updates and reforms to things like the Residential Construction Liability Act and Statute of Repose for resolving construction defect disputes and protecting home builders.
“Dallas BA also asked state legislators to support legislation that ensures municipal and county development inspection fees are calculated in a manner consistent with the Texas Constitution and another that provides changes to the current building permit approval process timeline statute to protect homeowners from costly delays,” the association press release states.
Educating Lawmakers
In addition to supporting pro-housing bills, it’s equally important to educate lawmakers on opposing efforts that negatively affect housing affordability and attainability through restrictive, unnecessary, and burdensome land use and housing policies that would be an overreach by the government, Crone said.
“I think what we were able to do is connect the legislators and the legislation they’re working on that we’ve identified as a priority to the challenges that each and every one of you are facing in your business,” Crone told Dallas BA members in his Phil’s Phive social media video posted Friday.
