THE HOME BUILDER
May 2023
Page Two
The HomeFront Government Affairs News and Info
David Lehde Director of Government Affairs Dallas BA Advocacy Engaging on All Three Regulatory Fronts After coordinating a very successful
munication with the provider regarding development plans early in the process. Builders and developers offered questions and their own insights regarding how they have worked to secure transform- ers during this shortage. City of Dallas Building Code Amend- ment On another front, the issue of supply shortages, in part, was key to the discussion as Dallas BA worked with City Council members to secure a sensible amendment to the City of Dallas’ adoption of the 2021 cycle of building codes on April 12. A chief concern of the Dallas BA was a provision mandating an “EV Ready Space” for one-to two-family dwellings and townhouses. Without amendment, the code would have required that new home construction include a 40-ampere, 208/240 – volt dedi- cated branch circuit that would have had a termination point such as a receptacle or junction box. Dallas BA requested that the council offer an amendment changing that refer - ence to “EV Capable Space”, in which just having electrical panel capacity and space to support the branch circuit, along with installation of conduit, is sufficient. The amendment, offered by Councilman Chad West, won approval by a vast majority of the City Council. While electric vehicles are slowly growing in use, the reality is that the vast majority of Dallas Residents will not own or nor afford an EV in the near future. Moreover, with technology changing, the infrastructure used for this aftermarket product may change. By adopting Dallas BA’s recommended amendment, the City Council not only avoided adding cost for a product not used by many, but also avoided a waste in materials that are already in short supply. Dallas adopted the regionally rec- ommended amendments from the North Central Texas Council of Government’s Regional Codes Coordinating Committee (RCCC). The RCCC’s process provides for a much-needed standardization and uni- formity for the code amendments adopted
Rally Day at the State Capitol in Austin for our members in March, the Dallas BA advocacy efforts have continued to impact the regulatory environment for our indus- try at the local, state, and federal levels. Distribution Transformer Shortage With eyes towards working with fellow regional stakeholders to do our part regarding the shortage of distribution transformers that has occurred nationwide, Dallas BA on April 5 brought electrical power providers together to discuss the state of transformer supply and what to expect down the line. The meeting first provided an update from our team at the National Association of Home Builders, who joined the meeting virtually to talk about the Association’s advocacy on the issue in Washington. This was followed by a panel with representatives from CoServ, Denton Municipal Electric, Farmers Electric Co- operative and Oncor who gave summaries of how they have addressed inventory and delivery of transformers. The panelists discussed how their own teams were addressing supply chal- lenges at a time when transformers are seeing a significant increase in price due to material strains. While lead times in our region are better than those experienced in the eastern portion of the U.S., they are still longer than what is generally accepted. The range of inventory varies by provider and region. While one may be focused on delivering on a first come, first serve basis, and another managing delivery percentage to ensure there is inventory until manufacturer re- plenishment, a larger provider can already have enough for the current year and be working on next year’s supply. All have agreements with manufac- turers through their approved bid process and DME, via state authorization, can seek other avenues when the supply is seen to be in emergency status. The panelists all pointed to one key thing that builders and developers can do to avoid causing further delays: com-
David Lehde, Dallas BA staff director of government affairs, speaks be - fore the Dallas City Council on April 12.
by the dozens of municipalities in Dallas BA’s 10-county jurisdiction. As a member of the RCCC, Dallas BA participates in the committee’s review process. State Advocacy Efforts At the state level, Dallas BA has not dropped off from its coordination with the Texas Association of Builders as they lead our industry’s advocacy efforts during the 88th Legislature. On April 12, Executive Officer Phil Crone stayed busy in the Capitol as he awaited his time to testify for Senate Bill 560 by Senator Drew Springer, which would shore up loopholes in a longstanding statute designed to provide fee refunds for applicants whose permits are ignored for 45 days or more. The House companion, House Bill 3826 by Representative Toth, has been reported favorably out of committee and continues in the process. Every Texas Representative in the Dallas BA service area also received a letter from the Director of Government Affairs requesting their support for HB 2024, legislation authored by Representa- tive Jeff Leach providing a needed update to the Statute of Repose, leading up to the bill’s approving House vote on April 20. HB 2024 is now in the Senate and has been referred to the Business and Commerce Committee. Dallas BA will continue to work with TAB as needed to help address other prior-
section 50131, which included grants that could coerce municipalities to unknowingly adopt an energy code that their city may not be ready for. The provision circumvents the needed flexibility states and local governments should have to amend those codes prior to adoption. Not only can that have a negative impact on housing affordability, but there would also be an impact on the local economy. The repeal of that provision was included in this year’s H.R. 1 in the U.S. House of Representatives. After hearing from NAHB and Dallas BA again, U.S. Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-26) offered the same concerns in comments on the House floor prior to the legislation’s passage. H.R. 1 also included an amend- ment regarding the freedom of homeowners to choose natural gas as a power source. While they did not vote for the overall bill, that amendment did have U.S. Repre- sentatives Colin Allred (TX-32) and Marc Veasey (TX-33) cross the aisle and vote for its approval. Direct questions on advocacy items to the Dallas BA Director of Government Affairs . Professional Women in Building On a different front, it is worth noting that the Dallas BA’s Professional Women in Building Council hosted Dallas City Coun- cilwoman Cara Mendelsohn as featured speaker for their April meeting. As a leader in local policy, Mendelsohn spoke on how her background brought her to her current public service and encouraged those in the room to consider serving in their communi- ties. There are definitely times when glass should be broken.
ity bills of the industry. Inflation Reduction Act
In Washington, some things can take a while to come to fruition. During the discussion on the Inflation Reduction Act in 2021, Dallas BA joined NAHB in stressing the industry’s concerns regarding
The Home Builder is published monthly by the Dallas Builders Association at 5816 W. Plano Pkwy., Plano, Texas 75093. Telephone 972-931-4840. BARCIE VILCHES, Editor
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