TexasBuilders.org
17
Government Relations
Bobby Bowling (El Paso)
Les Brannon (Fort Worth)
John Burchfield (Houston)
Bob Burton (Austin)
Joe Carlyle (Troup)
Jason Carothers (Temple)
Lisa Clark (Houston)
Phil Crone (Dallas)
Kathy Frazier (Austin)
Tim Jackson (Fairview)
David Lehde (Dallas)
Jim Leonard (San Antonio)
Granger MacDonald (Kerrville)
Harry Masterson (Houston)
Rick McGuire (Lubbock)
Terry Mitchell (Austin)
Michael Moore (San Antonio)
Casey Morgan (Houston)
Jayne Mortensen (Marble Falls)
Lee Nicol (Fort Worth)
Brian Ortega (Houston)
Parke Patterson (Houston)
Jim Petersen (Houston)
Sue Pinger (Austin)
James Rodriguez (Fort Worth)
Harry Savio (Austin)
Augarite Smiley (San Antonio)
Steve Sorrells (Waco)
Matthew Stark (Austin)
Mike Sugrue (Dallas)
Kay Vinzant (Waco)
Wes Wigginton (Austin)
Toy Wood (Houston)
Susan Wright (San Antonio)
Brad Wyrick (Temple)
Thank You to our Volunteers!
2015 – The Strong Voice of
Texas’ Home Builders Was Heard
O
n any given day, I make dozens
of phone calls and send scores of
emails managing our business.
Along with my peers in the home building
industry, influencing business deals
and holding employees accountable for
their responsibilities are daily priorities.
Between the months of January and June
2015, during the 84th Legislative Session,
some of the most important phone calls I
made and emails I sent to my state elected
officials were regarding TAB’s priority
legislative matters.
One of the most effective ways TAB members
can ensure that Texas remains the leading
state for residential construction is to
hold your elected officials accountable for
protecting private property rights, preventing
burdensome
regulations,
supporting
affordable housing, and maintaining a
low-tax system. This was proven during
this past session with the hundreds of TAB
members who traveled to Austin for Rally
Day, served as witnesses at Capitol committee
hearings, and contacted legislators using
TAB’s Advocacy & Action Center.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE –
THANK YOU, TAB MEMBERS
Considering the end of the most
successful session in recent TAB history,
I would be remiss if I failed to thank the
people who truly impacted the outcome of
the session. The following TAB members
(see box) volunteered to serve as public
witnesses and testified in front of Capitol
committees on matters that could affect the
residential construction and development
industry in Texas. We have an outstanding
government relations staff at TAB, but it is
still important to have our members show
up and be heard as well. These members
raised their voices beyond the call of duty
on issues ranging from energy efficiency
performance standards to private property
rights to housing tax credits.
Running your own business, creating leads
to expand your clientele, and managing
people and projects are only a few of the
demanding responsibilities TAB members
must satisfy on a daily basis – builder
members and associate members alike.
Not all members are able to put business
on hold for a day in order to travel to
Austin. The TAB Government Relations
Team acknowledges that and thus has
developed a simple, easy-to-use grassroots
system that allows members to have a
say on important matters that directly
affect their businesses. In fact, to send a
pre-drafted letter to a legislator about a
bill or issue through the TAB Advocacy &
Action Center takes less than one minute
and can be done on a cell phone. It doesn’t
get much easier than that!
During the last legislative session, ten
advocacy outreach campaigns were created
and
corresponding
“calls-to-action”
messages were distributed to TAB members
through the TAB Advocacy & Action
Center. More than 375 TAB members
received and responded to those calls-to-
action and, as a result, helped pass beneficial
proposals and prevented detrimental laws
from taking effect. Thank you to the TAB
members who made time during their
demanding schedules to be a voice for the
home building industry.
By Justin MacDonald
TAB's Advocacy & Action Website:
