Former TMHA Key Offensive Players

In 2003, TMHA and its members lobbied the legislature to overturn the devastating impact of HB 1869 from the previous session.  Each session TMHA has asked various members of the legislature to author and/or sponsor our legislation for each session.

Over the past five sessions the industry has been fortunate to have some of the most respected and knowledgeable members carry our legislative package.   Since 2003 we have had three representatives and five senators carry and pass TMHA’s legislative package.

As with every legislative session there will be turnover.  The turnover of legislators impacts many associations in Texas.  As for our legislative champions at the Capitol, none of our House sponsors and only two of our Senate sponsors for the past decade will be back in 2013.

The absence of former strong players on our side, coupled with the historic turnover in the Texas House all adds up to a 2013 session where TMHA will have our work cut out for us.  We face a field of play where we must not only educate the newly minted legislators, but also new legislative champions for our issues.

Like the start of any season with a new batch of recruits, it is hard to predict who will be tomorrow’s top performing stars.  TMHA will work to seek out those new faces and new talents with the hope we can find those who embody the similar strengths as our former All-Americans. 

However, in order to move forward it behooves us to look at where we have come from.

2003-SB 521

Representative Rick Hardcastle – Hardcastle was elected to the Texas House in 1998 out of Vernon (West Texas), during the 2003 session he was chair of the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee.  At the time he had the last remaining independent manufacturer in Texas in his district.  Hardcastle helped champion and pass SB 521 through the House without any votes being cast against the legislation.  Soon after the 2003 session Representative Hardcastle learned that he had developed Multiple Sclerosis.

Since that time he has been a major advocate for laws that improve the quality of life for people living with chronic illnesses like MS.  Representative Hardcastle announced his retirement in late 2011 after serving 14 years in the legislature.

Senator Todd Staples – In 2003, Staples served as chair of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.  At that time Senator Staples district had the highest percentage of residents living in manufactured homes.

He served three terms in the Texas House before being elected to the Senate, where he served from 2001 – 2006.  In November of 2006 he was elected as Texas Agriculture Commissioner, a position he continues to hold.  He is up for re-election in 2014; however, he may run for Lieutenant Governor.

2005-HB 2438

Representative Pat Haggerty –In 2005 Haggerty was chair of Budget and Oversight of the House Committee on Corrections.   He was first elected in 1988.  During his tenure Haggerty was a leader and expert on the correction system in Texas.  As a moderate Republican, he was at odds often with then Speaker Tom Craddick.  In 2007, Haggerty led a movement to make a motion that could have led to the ousting of Speaker Craddick.  After the Speaker refused to recognize the motion, Haggerty led a quorum breaking walkout and forcing the House to adjourn.

Haggerty subsequently lost his seat in 2008.  Since 2009 Haggerty has been lobbying in Austin.

Senator Ken Armbrister – In 2005, Senator Armbrister served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and served on the Business and Commerce Committee.  TMHA’s legislative package went through the Business and Commerce Committee.

Armbrister served in the Texas House from 1984 through 1987.  After that he was elected to the Texas Senate where he served until his retirement in 2006.  Since that time Armbrister has been the Chief of Staff for Governor Rick Perry.

2007-HB 2438

Representative Pat Haggerty (see above)

Senator Chris Harris – In 2007, Senator Harris was vice-chair of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee. He first served in the Texas House from 1985 -1990 before being elected to the Texas Senate.  Prior to announcing his retirement in 2011, Harris was the highest ranking Republican member in the Texas Senate.

2009-HB 2238

Representative Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton - Representative Hamilton was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 and is a current member of the House County Affairs Committee and Chairman of Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committees.

In 2009, Hamilton was not only a good friend of the manufactured housing industry but a close friend of TMHA’s Chairman Tommy Blanchard. He was more than happy to carry TMHA’s legislative package and helped usher it through the legislative process in record time.

In 2011 with redistricting of all House and Senate districts, Hamilton and Representative James White were paired as incumbents to run in a newly drawn district.  Representative White defeated Hamilton in the Republican primary. 

Senator Kevin Eltife – Eltife was first elected to the Texas Senate in 2004.  In 2009 he was an ally to our manufactured housing industry.  His district in Northeast Texas is heavily populated with residents of manufactured housing.

Eltife is up for re-election in 2012.  He is the current chairman of the Senate Committee on Administration and owner of Eltife Properties a real estate investment and development firm in Tyler, Texas.

2011-HB 1510

Representative Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton – see above.

Senator John Carona – Carona was not only the Senate sponsor of TMHA’s legislative package, but he was the chairman of the committee most manufactured housing legislation is referred to in the Senate - Business and Commerce Committee.  TMHA has had a close working relationship with Senator Carona for several sessions. In 2003, Sen. Carona sponsored SB 1326 that prohibited municipalities from restricting or zoning out the placement of modular housing in cities throughout Texas.

Senator Carona is known in the Senate as one of the staunchest defenders of small business owners.  He served in the House from 1990-1996. He has served in the Senate since 1997.  Carona will be up for re-election in 2014. He is the president and CEO of a successful international realty management firm employing over 8,000 people.