TMHA's 84th Session Recap
Welcome to TMHA's 2015 Session Recap. This page provides you all the information and tools you need to read up on all aspects of the Texas Session and the impact on the manufactured and modular housing industries. We have broken down by various topics specific legislative action to allow you to pick and choose those issues that matter most to you. This cumulative effort is based on the monitoring and reading of the more than 6,200 bills filed this session, and specifically from the 190 bills TMHA tracked, worked on, amended or advocated for their passage or defeat throughout the 140 day session.
Tax Cuts
Ever played a game of chicken? Read about the stand off between the House and the Senate on not whether there should be a tax cut, but on what tax is the right one to cut.
Industrialized Building and Housing
Modular builders will no longer be capped to a three story construction limit. Read how this TMHA championed bill became law.
Landlord Tenant
In every session we see a flurry of landlord-tenant bills filed. This session was no exception. While no bills were filed that directly impacted lot lease only laws, there were a number of broad residential lease bills introduced, many of which were pro-landlord. Read our coverage of specific legislation on denying tenants based on source of income, affixing a notice to vacate on an exterior door, challenging the sufficiency of a tenant's bond in an eviction appeal, landlord liability removal for tenants with certain types of criminal records, covering rekey costs from security deposits in broken leases, the defeat of a bill trying to allow for additional damages in wrongful exivtion suits, and city's new pod provisions for the removal of personal property in an eviction.
Disaster Recovery
Manufactured housing, along with park models, modular homes, and FEMA units play significant roles in the wake of disasters. Read about the bills that were filed that TMHA tracked.
Cities and County Authority
A good chunk of the TMHA work load every session is devoted to ensuring that city and county authority is not expanded in a way that would adversely impact our industry. Read about the bills that we worked this time around on RV parks and defining a state-wide standard for their infrastructure, broad county authority, cities charging builders impact fees,and the wild tale of HB 2977.
Finance, Lending and Foreclosure
When big sweeping federal laws are implemented there are often changes needed in state statute. Read about the omnibus OCCC bill that tried to do just that. There was also legislation passed on providing surviving spouses with mortgage information and three bills dealing with non-judicial foreclosures of real property.
Fire Sprinklers
Legislation was filed to allow cities to mandate fire sprinklers. Read about what happened and why the TMHA lobby team pays close attention to anything relating to plumbing.
Hail Damage, Law Suit Abuse, and Insurance Reform
Insurance reform is sorely needed in wake of the recent wave of mass tort model suits against roof claims in areas hit by hail storms. TMHA worked and supported a bill that tried to do just that and which brought two juggernauts of Texas political fights the trial lawyers and the tort reforms groups back at each other again.
New Regulation that Didn't Pass
There were two bills seeking to impose additional regulation on our industry that fortunately did not pass. Read about the bills looking to register roofing contractors as well as HB 3148 calling for yet another license to be mandated by TDLR despite our retailers, manufacturers and installers already holding distinct state licenses.
Replacement of Unsafe Housing Programs
Sen. Lucio filed three bills this session trying to address replacement housing for unsafe homes by repurposing the current sales tax levied on manufactured homes.
Transportation – Heavy Weight/Oversized Moving
Would've been Nice Bills
Inevitably in every sessions there are bills that we would love to see become law, but due to opposition, time constraints, or fiscal notes, they don't make it. Here are three of our fan favorites.