THE INSIDER (HERE ARE YOUR FIVE INSIGHTS FOR THE MONTH)

In This Issue

Call for Action: Pass

H.R. 3700

HAR hosts

“Debunking the

Myths on Workforce

Housing”

June Election Re-

sults

Regional Recaps

Important Dates

Call for Action: Pass H.R. 3700 We need your help! The United States Senate has a critical opportunity to im-

prove housing markets across the country, and we need your help in making

homeownership a priority!

Take action now to pass H.R. 3700, the “Housing Opportunity Through Moderni-zation Act of 2016,” a bill that makes buying a condo A LOT easier by ex-panding opportunities for homebuyers and streamlining rural housing programs for low-income rental residents. S. 3083 is the Senate companion bill which mir-rors the House version. Condominiums are among the most affordable homeownership options for home-buyers, but barriers to safe, affordable mortgage credit for condos still exist. H.R. 3700 takes a number of steps to address those concerns.

Why REALTORS® Care H.R. 3700 passed the U.S. House 427-0 with NO OBJECTIONS in February, but

has failed to come up for a vote in the U.S. Senate. This legislation provides sig-

nificant benefits to taxpayers, homebuyers and the real estate market by:

Removing a burdensome and expensive FHA condo approval process

Reducing FHA restrictions on the number of condos available to homebuyers

Streamlining Rural Housing Service loan processing

We Can’t Let MetroTex Beat Us! Let’s Win This!

The MetroTex Association of REALTORS® has challenged HAR to a match of which association can achieve a higher participation rate in the Call for Action (CFA). Whichever association loses, the Board Chair and the Governmental Affairs staff will have to wear the football jersey of the opposing team (Dallas or Houston) at the up-coming TAR convention in September 7-10! No one wants to see our Chair Mario Arriaga suffer the embarrassment of wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey in public for a whole day!!

Click here to see the challenge video from MetroTex!

Click here to see Chairman Arriaga’s response!

HAR Governmental Affairs E-Newsletter July 2016—Vol. 6

Save the Date!

TAR Conference in

Galveston

September 7-10

Click here to register

today!

HAR hosts “Debunking the Myths on Workforce Housing” On June 23, the HAR Governmental Affairs Department hosted a successful symposium on “Debunking the Myths on Workforce

Housing.” With over 85 attendees, the event served as a great catalyst to engage in a community discussion to address the

need of workforce housing across the greater Houston region.

Toni Jackson, commercial real estate attorney with Jones Walker, served as the symposium’s moderator and really was able to

successfully facilitate a productive discussion not only with the panelists but the audience as well. The panelists included a wide

array of stakeholders in the community including: Timika Simmons, Director of Public Affairs at the Harris County Housing Au-

thority; Chris Butler, Executive Director of the Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority at the City of Houston; Alyson Griffin,

Sr. Mortgage Loan Originator at First Choice Loan Services; Tory Gunsolley, President & CEO at the Houston Housing Authori-

ty; Barry Kahn, President at Hettig/Kahn Holdings, Inc.; Dr. Edward Pringle, Houston Field Office Director at the U.S. Depart-

ment of Housing & Urban Development; and Brandi Sullivan, Administration Manager for the City of Houston’s Housing & Com-

munity Development Department.

(Houston Housing Finance Corporation Director John

Gonzales and former Houston City Council Member Felix

Fraga pictured here at the symposium.)

(Governmental Affairs Advisory Group Co-Chair Ray Wade, Mont-

gomery County Political Affairs Advisory Leadership Chair Deborah

Spangler pictured here with moderator Toni Jackson and HAR Chief

Political Strategist Dana Kervin.)

(Panelist members Chris Butler, Timika Simmons, Tory Gunsolley, Toni

Jackson, Alyson Griffin, Dr. Edward Pringle, and Brandi Sullivan pose with

HAR Member Shad Bogany. Not pictured here is panelist Barry Kahn.)

(From left to right: Heather Ramsey-Cook from Congressman Ted Poe’s office, Wendi Lojo from Senator Paul Bettencourt’s office,

Kathleen Osborne from Houston City Council Member Greg Travis’ office and Deanna Harrington from Representative Jim Murphy’s

office).

(Moderator Toni Jackson speaks to the audience at

the symposium.)

(Houston City Council Member Mike Knox, Houston

Housing Finance Corporation Director Carolyn Matthews

and HAR Governmental Affairs Advisory Group member

Ward Arendt pictured here at the symposium.)

(REALTORS® including HAR Governmental Affairs Advi-

sory Group members Enid Cruise-Cleland, Rene Hightire

and Lilly Jefferson engage with the symposium panelists

Dr. Edward Pringle and Brandi Sullivan during the

break.)

June Election Results

All three of HAR’s recommended candidates in Fort Bend won their run-off elections! In Sugar Land, the May 7 Election resulted in run-offs for

Mayor and At-Large Position 2. Joe Zimmerman won his election for Mayor of Sugar Land and Mary Joyce won her election for At-Large Position

2. Congratulations Mayor Zimmerman and Council Member Joyce! We look forward to working with you!

Sugar Land City Council June 11 Run-off Election Results

Mayor Joe Zimmerman Council Member Mary Joyce

In Missouri City, incumbent At-Large Position 2 Council Member Chris Preston narrowly won his run-off election by 9 votes. We look forward to

working with you in your second term. Congratulations again on your victory!

Missouri City City Council June 11 Run-off Election Results

Council Member Chris Preston (Council Member Chris Preston was sworn in on July 5, 2016 during his inauguration.)

Pearland City Council June 18 Run-off Election Results

There was a run-off election for Pearland City Council Position 6. The two candidates were Trent Perez and Monica Russo. HAR Board of Directors

voted to remain neutral in the election and did not recommend a candidate. Ultimately, Trent Perez won the election. We congratulate Council Member

Perez on his recent victory and look forward to working with him in the future!

Council Member Trent Perez

Harris County Commissioners Court Precinct 1 Nomination Results and Senate District 13 Nomination

On Saturday, June 25, Senator Rodney Ellis won the Democratic nomination to succeed El Franco Lee as the Harris County Precinct 1 Commission-

er. Commissioner Lee passed away in early January 2016. Senator Ellis’ name will appear on the Tuesday, November 8 ballot, where he will run un-

opposed. The Democratic precinct chairs will meet again on July 16 to select a replacement candidate to run for Ellis’ Senate seat. Their nominee will

run unopposed as well. With Ellis’ nomination, this action has created a subsequent series of in filling his Senate seat. At this time the candidates in-

clude State Representative Senfronia Thompson, State Representative Borris Miles and former Houston City Controller Ron Green.

Senator Rodney Ellis Ron Green, Representative Borris Miles and Representative

Senfronia Thompson

(HAR Governmental Affairs Department staff

celebrates with HAR recommended candidate

and newly elected Sugar Land City Council

Member, At-Large 2 Mary Joyce on Tuesday,

June 21.)

(HAR Chief Political Strategist, HAR Governmental Affairs Coor-

dinator Mary Hinojosa and HAR Political Coordinator Laura

Rodriguez congratulate Sugar Land City Council Member, At-

Large 1 Himesh Gandhi on his re-election at the inauguration on

Tuesday, June 21.)

(HAR Chief Political Strategist Dana Kervin, HAR Governmental

Affairs Coordinator Mary Hinojosa and HAR Political Coordinator

Laura Rodriguez congratulate newly elected Mayor of Sugar

Land Joe Zimmerman at the inauguration on Tuesday, June 21.)

Want to keep up to date with REALTOR® Is-

sues?

Check out

HAR Connect

Read your weekly HART-

beat

Read the TAR Legislative Li-

aison

Visit the NAR REALTOR®

Action Center

In June...

Harris County

State Senator Rodney Ellis won the Democratic nomination for a vacant seat on the Harris County

commissioner’s court. This seat is Harris County Commissioner Precinct 1, previously held by El

Franco Lee, who passed away in January. Ellis defeated Gene Locke, who was appointed to

serve out the remainder of Lee’s term, by capturing the votes of 78 of the 117 Democratic party

chairs. Ellis faces no Democratic party opponent in the fall and if elected in November, he would

take office in January.

Houston City Council voted to approve changes to Houston’s campaign finance law with no dis-

cussion, effectively doubling contribution limits per general election cycle and boosting the amount

candidates can reimburse themselves for personal loans. Rather than collecting a maximum of

$5,000 from individuals and $10,000 from political action committees per four-year election cycle,

candidates will be allowed to raise that much during the first two years of their term, and then do

so again during the second two years. The contribution cycle would reset if the candidate were

forced into a runoff.

Bay Area Houston

Pearland City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution canvassing the results of the June

18 Runoff Election. During the meeting, Trent Perez, who won the runoff election, was sworn into

office as the first council member of the newly-created Position 6. A seventh city council seat will

be added next year.

Fort Bend County

Fort Bend County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to approve a motion regarding the re-

appraisal of all property damaged in the recent flooding disaster-related events as allowed under

the Texas Tax Code. The motion authorizes the re-appraisal of property affected by the events of

April and May of 2016, and to provide for the pro-rating of taxes for such property as allowed.

Missouri City City Council voted unanimously to adopt the city's FY2017 Budget. The new budget

begins July 1, and is based on a proposed property tax rate of $0.51464 per $100 valuation, as

opposed to the FY2016 budget's tax rate of $0.54468 per $100 valuation. The city council voted to

ratify an increase in revenues through property taxes as reflected in the FY2017 Budget.

Sugar Land City Council voted to approve, on first reading, an ordinance granting a homestead

exemption for property taxes. Residents with a homestead exemption will receive a $5,000 or 10

percent, whichever is greater, reduction in the appraisal of the property for calculating property

taxes.

Montgomery County

A grand jury indicted Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal and two commissioners, charging

them with violating Texas' open meetings law last year while developing a bond package for new

and improved roads. Traffic-weary voters in the rapidly growing county approved the $280 million

financing proposal, but the indictments left Doyal and Commissioners Jim Clark and Charlie Riley

to face criminal charges for their actions in getting it on the ballot. A state panel suspended Mont-

gomery County Judge Craig Doyal without pay after he was charged with violating Texas' open

meetings law while developing a bond measure for new and improved roads.

Contact Us

HAR Governmental

Affairs Staff

3693 Southwest Fwy.

Houston, TX 77027

Dana Kervin

Chief Political Strategist

dana.kervin@har.com

(713)-629-1900 ext. 223

Laura Rodriguez

Political Affairs Coordina-

tor

laura.rodriguez@har.com

(713)-629-1900 ext. 269

Mary Hinojosa

Governmental Affairs Co-

ordinator

mary.hinojosa@har.com

(713)-629-1900 ext. 270

Important Dates July 13: Bay Area Realtor Networking Breakfast at Luby’s (4709 Center

Street, Deer Park) from 8:15-9:45 am. RSVP to Troy Cothran at

troythestarfish@aol.com.

July 13: Greater Northwest Breakfast at Raveneaux Country Club (9415 Cy-

presswood Drive, Spring) from 8:30-10 am. RSVP to Ben Bryant at benbry-

antsells@gmail.com.

July 21: Fort Bend Networking & Business Meeting at Sweetwater Country

Club (4400 Palm Royale Blvd, Sugar Land) from 11:30 am– 1:15 pm. RSVP

to Linda Kraner at linda.kraner@alamotitle.com or 281-201-9090.

August 12: Greater Northwest Bowl-a-thon at AMF Willow Lanes starting at

1:00 pm. Contact Karen Driscoll for more information. (TREPAC)

August 25: Lake Houston Cocktail Reception at Walden on Lake Houston

starting at 5:30 pm. Contact Karen Driscoll for more information. (TREPAC)

October 27: Montgomery County Field Day. Contact Karen Driscoll for more

information. (TREPAC)

November 8: General Election Day

Houston Association of REALTORS®