A Message from TAAHP's Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman

Chris Akbari, Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman

The 2020-2021 term of Government Affairs and Legislative Advisory (GALA) committee has been a great success for our organization. The 87th legislative session began very slowly and with plenty of unknowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the early weeks of the session prep, the Capitol was largely closed, and legislators’ offices were closed to in-person visitors. We quickly realized that this would be a session like no other. Our lobbyists, Andrade-Van De Putte (AVDP), and our staff decided to build on our previous efforts. Our goal was to elevate our voice and stature within the legislature by meeting with key Senate offices and House members positioned on committees that impact housing. We pushed further by holding joint fundraisers with other housing-related organizations and meeting with every House freshman’s office to introduce our industry and our organization. There were several weeks where GALA members, TAAHP staff, and AVDP met with legislative staff and members to make sure they knew our industry and its impact on Texas families’ stability. We focused on how the need for housing affordability impacts all Texans. These relationships yielded great results for our organization. Engaging with peer organizations such as the Texas Apartment Association (TAA), Texas Association of Builders (TAB), Texas Association of Local Housing Finance Authorities (TALHFA), and Rural Rental Housing of Texas (RRHA) marked a pivotal change in TAAHP’s approach. These relationships helped us significantly throughout the session. This collaborative effort helped strengthen our message and promote good housing policies for Texans and assisted in protecting our industry from bills that could have a negative impact. Generally, most organizations declined to sponsor specific bills that contained legislative changes. TAAHP and members of the GALA committee took a different approach by deciding

Tto take advantage of the uncertainty and push for changes with several key priorities: (1) Removal of Resolutions of No Objection for 4 percent transactions; (2) Removal of the “clean” census tract priority in the 9 percent scoring process; (3) Reorienting the scoring priority for 9 percent applications to allow for TDHCA to choose scoring priority based upon policy and need; and (4) Modify the property tax appraisal process to address properties that are under construction or not yet stabilized. We were not successful in getting all of Chris Akbari them modified. Still, I am certain that Governmental Affairs Committee we elevated each of them to a level of Chairman consideration that will give us a chance to address them in future legislative sessions. We did find success in a partnership with the Texas Association of Builders to addressing the Property Tax Appraisal process for affordable housing under construction or not yet stabilized with the passage of HB 3833. Finally, much of our critical successes came from preventing bad policies by working with legislators and lobbyists to understand the implications of these harmful measures. We were ultimately able to keep many detrimental bills from making their way to the governor’s desk. The GALA committee owes all of its success this session to our TAAHP staff — Roger, Victoria, and Naomi, as well as the AVDP team. They spent hundreds of hours setting us up for success and strategically connecting the GALA committee’s “subject matter experts” with the members and staff in time to make an impact. I want to thank the staff, GALA members, TxCAD Members, TAA staff, TAB staff, Mike Warner, Austin Holder, and of course, the legislators who are our champions in the House and Senate. I would especially thank Senators Lucio, Alvarado, and Menendez. On the House side, I would like to thank Representatives Cortez, King, Gerven-Hawkins, Chen-Button, Holland, Bernal, Campos, Gates, Johnson, Minjarez , Morales Shaw, Slaton, and Deshotel. Each of these legislators have become champions for “Better Housing for Texans.”

Thank You to the GALA Committee Members

Danny Allgeier, Lakewood Property Mgmt Terri Anderson, Anderson Development & Construction, LLC Bobby Bowling, Tropicana Building Corp. Debra Guerrero, The NRP Group Joy Horak-Brown, New Hope Housing, Inc. Darrell Jack, Apartment MarketData Toni Jackson, Banks Law Firm Nathan Kelley, Blazer Building Texas LLC Dan Kierce, RBC Capital Markets Jean Latsha, Pedcor Investments Scott Marks, Coats Rose PC Diana McIver, DMA Development Company, LLC Rick Sheffield, Rowlett Housing Finance Corp. Janine Sisak, DMA Development Company, LLC Lisa Stephens, Saigebrook Mike Sugrue, Stoneleaf Companies Valerie Williams , Bank of America