TCAA MINUTE | March 15, 2021 - CAI Texas/TCAA Legislative Session Update
Friday, March 12th was the deadline for filing bills and joint resolutions other than local bills, emergency appropriations, and there was a surge of bills filed that directly impact Texas homeowners and property owners’ associations. Heading into the Friday deadline, more than 6,000 bills had been filed. Attention will now turn to committee hearings and floor debate in both the House and Senate, as well as negotiations to finalize the state budget. New bills of note include: HB 1963 (Beckley) relates to the regulation of short-term rentals by a property owners' association. This bill would expressly authorize associations to adopt and enforce a provision in a dedicatory instrument that regulates short-term leasing but does not expressly authorize association boards to promulgate the regulations. HB 1970 (Shaheen) requires property owners’ associations to promulgate policies related to fines. The bill would require the adoption of a policy regarding the enforcement of fines that must disclose each type of violation for which a fine may be assessed, the amount of the fine for each type of violation, and pertinent information regarding certain hearings. The amount of the fine(s) assessed must be “reasonable.” The bill also requires a copy of the policies to be publicly recorded in the county property records and provided to each owner. HB 2013 (Reynolds) and SB 359 (Miles) would require a “verified accounting” for expedited foreclosure actions and judicial foreclosure actions on residential real property. A claimant would be required to file with the original application, petition, or pleading a verified accounting of the balance due on the account, each payment made on the account, and the total and final principal amount on the account. President Biden Signs Federal Stimulus Bill A $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package designed to support households, businesses, and state and local governments through the ongoing pandemic has been approved by the President and Congress. Key features of the plan include up to $1,400-per-person stimulus payments that will send money to about 90% of American households, a $300 federal boost to weekly jobless benefits, an expansion of the child tax credit of up to $3,600 per child, and $350 billion in state and local aid, as well as billions of dollars for K-12 schools to help students return to the classroom, to assist small businesses hard-hit by the pandemic, and for COVID-19 response. The White House expects that Americans will start seeing stimulus checks in their bank accounts as early as this weekend The stimulus funding is expected to dramatically improve the outlook for the state budget currently being crafted in Austin, as the Texas share of the stimulus funding is $16.8 billion dollars for state government and additional billions for local governments and schools. It is worth noting, however, that no Congressional Republicans supported the measure, and some Republicans have called the stimulus bill wasteful and urged states to reject some or all of the federal money. CAI-TCAA Texas Legislative Week Plans Underway TCAA is planning a week of outreach to state legislators during the week of March 22-26, 2021, to educate lawmakers on the benefits of community associations and the importance of protecting the quality of life in Texas neighborhoods. In a typical legislative session, this event would be conducted in-person and draw hundreds of supporters to the Texas capitol. This year, in light of the ongoing pandemic and related safety protocols, most of the advocacy will be conducted virtually. Despite these limitations, the TCAA team is confident that the outreach will be a success and appreciates the input and engagement of its members and supporters. Please visit txcaa.org for details on participating in a legislative policy briefing, contacting your local legislators, registering for virtual appointments, and more.
Community Association Issues
We hope to hear from you about the issues of concern to you and your neighbors. We also encourage you to share your support of community associations with your local legislators. For more information on the Texas Legislature and updates on TCAA activities and events, please visit www.txcaa.org or www.caionline.org/txlac.
Contact Your Legislators The legislative session has ended, but you should still contact your local representatives throughout the year and ahead of the 2021 session to share your concerns and opinions. Here’s how to contact your state legislators: By telephone You can find Texas Capitol and local district office telephone numbers for your legislator by searching Who Represents Me? on Texas Legislature Online. By e-mail E-mail is handled by each office individually. For e-mail options, see the Texas Senators and House Membership websites.
Get Involved
Between now and the next legislative session, TCAA wants you to get involved with our association and help in our efforts to support and protect community associations across Texas. Visit the TCAA website for more information on activities, events, and updates: www.txcaa.org