ABC Priority Bills Passed this 88th Legislative Session
Right to Repair
During the 86th Legislative session, the Legislature passed HB 1999 which created the Right to Repair Statute (Chapter 2272) for Government Projects. Unfortunately, many of the governmental entities identified in this statute have been circumventing this section by requiring contractors waive this section in its entity in contract. ABC Texas supports legislation that clearly states that Chapter 2272 cannot be waived by contract.
Asset Bill
Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law HB 2127. This bill asserts the state’s authority in a variety of policy areas and statutes and ensures regulatory consistency across all cities and counties for businesses in Texas. For years ABC Texas has been a proud member of ASSET (Alliance for Securing and Strengthening the Economy in Texas ) and we have worked on this issue for the last several sessions.
The bill will go into effect on September 1.
We are thankful for the strong leadership of Chairman Dustin Burrows and Chairman Brandon Creighton who never wavered and stood strong for businesses across Texas.
HB 5
The stated purpose of the bill is to create new, high-paying jobs, encourage economic development, attract large-scale business investment, and encourage energy and water infrastructure development, all in a balanced, transparent, and accountable manner.
Some of the bill’s key provisions include:
The incentive offers a 50% abatement on local school district maintenance and operations property taxes; the abatement increases to 75% in a federally designated economic opportunity zone
Eligible projects: manufacturing, dispatchable power generation facilities, technology research/development facilities, and critical infrastructure projects
Jobs requirements:
For a county with a population of at least 750,000, such as Tarrant County:
Must create and maintain employment of at least 75 jobs
Must invest at least $200 million during the first year of the incentive period
The job creation and capital investment requirements continue to decrease on a sliding scale for lesser-populated counties
The property tax incentive must be the determining factor for a project to locate in Texas; in other words, applications for incentives will be rejected if the project were determined to be locating in Texas anyway
The incentive program created by HB 5 expires on December 31, 2033
The final version of HB 5 was passed in the House by a vote of 100-36, and in the Senate by a vote of 26-5. This widespread bipartisan support mirrors the overwhelming public support among Texans for an economic development incentive program like HB 5.
Certificate of Merit - HB 2007
An Act relating to a certificate of merit in certain actions against certain licenses or registered professionals.
Change Order Limit
Current statute (Section 271.060 LGC) states that any contract over $1 Million may not be increased by more than 25 percent without a vote by the governing body. With the current costs increases due to inflation and labor challenges, the $1 million dollar cap is too low and has caused some unintended consequences and complications with repeated meetings for governmental entities. ABC Texas would support legislation that increases this limit.
Political Affairs Committee (PAC)
The Political Affairs Committee analyzes political environment in the chapter area and recommends political candidates for endorsement and/or financial support; obtains contributions from chapter members for ABC PAC; provides information to members on relevant political matters and publishes voter guides during election years.
The Legislative Committee plans and recommends proactive legislative policies and programs, actively participates in the legislative action process, monitors state and local legislative activities, and activates chapter response mechanisms. The Legal Rights and Strategy portion of the committee monitors labor relations, cases and union activities, observes and reports trends, makes recommendations to the Board, and plans and executes timely informational sessions for members.
The Political Action Committee analyzes the political environment in the Chapter's area and recommends financial support for political candidates. The Committee obtains contributions from Chapter members, provides information to members on relevant political matters, and publishes voter guides during election cycles.
Interested in joining one of these committees to collaborate on the political advocacy initiatives for our members? Contact Scott Lewis at slewis@mmrgrp.com
Want to contribute to PAC? (personal funds allowed only)
Per Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulations, a corporate member company of ABC must first provide ABC PAC with prior authorization before any individual in its restricted class can contribute or be solicited.
Free Enterprise Alliance (FEA)
The Free Enterprise Alliance (FEA) is the action arm for small businesses, entrepreneurs and advocates of limited government, open and fair competition, and the economically sound principles upon which America was built.
Founded by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the Free Enterprise Alliance’s mission is to educate ABC members and their employees, elected officials, and the public about the issues important to open competition in America. At the heart of the Free Enterprise Alliance’s mission is the belief that while we need government for common sense regulations, the scales have tipped too far in favor of government intrusion.
Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 21,000 members. Based on the merit shop philosophy, we help our members develop people, win work and deliver work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work. Learn more by visiting www.abc.org.
Who We Are
Founded in 2001, FEA, a program of Associated Builders and Contractors, is responsible for the association’s issue advocacy.
What We Do
FEA is an entity within Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., which is a trade association accorded 501(c)6 status by the Internal Revenue Service.
How To Contribute
FEA can accept funds from any member, including corporations. All contributions are voluntary and are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. FEA is an entity of the Associated Builders and Contractors.
Direct Contributions: FEA can accept both personal and corporate donations from ABC members.
ABC Chapter Contributions: ABC state chapters play a major role in the FEA. ABC members can support FEA through their annual membership renewal. Members can contact their local chapter president or email feainfo@abc.org.