30
Texas Association of Builders
November/December 2015
Speaking Out
are there between being a member of the
House and serving in the Senate?
With more members in the House (150) it
can sometimes be difficult to get your voice
heard above the fray. It's much easier in the
Senate to have a megaphone. As a House
member, you almost have to specialize in
a subject area to really make your mark.
As a Senator, I represent almost 850,000
Texans. That comes with a heavy work load
and I felt that this session. That being said,
since there are 31 of us in the Senate it gave
me an opportunity to work more closely
with other Senators and that gave me the
ability to have a significant impact on much
needed policy changes for Texas.
During your time at the Capitol you have
served on many different committees,
including your current commitments
as vice chairman of the Senate Business
and Commerce committee and active
member of the Agriculture, Water and
Rural Affairs committee, Criminal Justice
committee, and State Affairs committee.
What were some accomplishments for you
and the Legislature this session? What are
some issues that you would like to see the
Senate study during the 2016 interim?
The legislature cut taxes by 25% for all
businesses that pay the franchise tax.
Additionally, we provided property tax relief
by increasing the homestead exemption from
$15,000 to $25,000. We managed to pass these
tax relief proposals worth $3.8 billion and still
pass a conservative budget that grew at a rate
smaller than that of population and inflation.
Second Amendment rights were finally
addressed and we saw some positive
movement on that with the passage of Open
Carry and Campus Carry. On November
3, Texas voters will have the opportunity
to give us another Second Amendment
victory by voting for Proposition 6, which
will provide state constitutional protections
for hunting and fishing rights.
Over the interim we have the opportunity to
tee the ball up for the next legislative session
and really do some homework on some
pressing issues. I would like the legislature
to tackle state sovereignty, efficiency in state
government, and water issues.
As long as the federal government
continues to try and extend its power
and authority, Texas needs to find new
ways to assert its state sovereignty under
the 10th Amendment. Our budget is very
conservative, but there is always room
for improvement, particularly in terms
of generating savings among our state
agencies to make sure they are operating
efficiently; last session I had Senate Bill
677 that unfortunately did not pass, so I
would like to see some progress made in
incentivizing savings. We made progress
on water during the 2013 session, but
there is always more that can be done
and should be done to ensure safe and
affordable water for all Texans.
You have consistently supported tax reform
and exemptions that would benefit businesses
and Texas families. As co-author of Senate
Joint Resolution (SJR) 1, you assisted the
effort to provide a $10,000 increase in the
homestead property tax exemption. Also
included in SJR 1 was a prohibition of a real
estate transfer tax, which along with the
property tax exemption, was a significant
legislative priority for TAB’s membership.
This was Prop 1 on the November 2015
ballot. Do you foresee tax reform to be an
ongoing discussion for the 85th Legislative
Session? What are the ramifications on the
ongoing school finance litigation upon future
tax debates?
Tax reform will consistently be a priority
discussion. There is always going to be a
newer, fairer, and more efficient way to
collect and levy taxes. Property taxes are a
perfect example. We made some progress
with my Senate Bill 1760 (creating a
supermajority voting threshold for any tax
increase) last session, but the system still
needs a lot of work to make taxpayers feel
like they are treated fairly.
It's hard to say right now what those
ramifications are or will be from the school
finance litigation. As a legislator, I feel that
we have funded education appropriately.
Obviously if the Texas Supreme Court
disagrees we will come back and address
their concerns to try and put a stable school
finance system in place.
For the past several sessions, TAB has
listed transportation infrastructure
With Texas
State Senator
Brandon Creighton
First and foremost, thank you for your
active involvement with sponsoring and
passing a TAB Priority bill this past
session. As the Senate sponsor for House
Bill 1455, the condo owner protection bill,
you helped to protect a builder’s right to
cure and ensured that condo unit owners
are provided with adequate information
and are able to make informed decisions
about their private property. Being vice
president of a development company and
an active TAB member, how did your
knowledge of the industry help you to
understand the importance of that bill?
I have been fighting abusive tort claims
throughout my time in the legislature. This
legislation is a tort reform bill to reign in
abusive lawsuit practices, but it affected
condo builders, condo associations,
and the legal community. No industry
operates in a bubble; the decisions of these
abusive law firms have direct effects on the
industries they attack. This is just another
step in that process, and I am glad I could
help the industry. As our state continues to
grow, multifamily housing will continue to
be very hot here for homeowners and legal
protection should be in place for expected
and deserved property rights.
You served four terms in the Texas House
of Representatives before being elected
to the Senate in 2014. What differences
