Houston Chronicle: Only builders shed tears for flawed state agency
Its facade of legitimacy is so flimsy that a Sunset Commission staff report recently recommended its absence would serve homeowners better than its presence. It called the commission "fundamentally flawed." It's telling that the only group upset about dismantling the TRCC is the builders it is supposed to police. The TRCC purports to resolve differences between aggrieved homeowners and builders and promote better home construction. In fact, it's been a Legislature-sanctioned smoke screen for bad construction..."There is a huge burden on the homeowner to prove what's wrong with their house, and where do they wind up? In a legal dispute," said Janet Ahmad of San Antonio, president of Homeowners for Better Building. "We don't need a state agency for that."

Home complaints may be unenforceable
The government agency has been the principal responder to accusations of shoddy construction in the Mallard Park sub division, taking complaints and setting up independent inspections of property to confirm or disprove claims. However, a recent report from the Sunset Advisory Commission calls for the direct abolition of the agency, because it lacks the regulatory power it purports to wield. “In its review of the Texas Residential Construction Commission, Sunset staff concluded that anything short of a true regulatory program does more harm than good, and should be abolished,” the report released in August said.

Editorial: Victims no Better Off
Since 1979; shoddy construction is epidemic, it does not discriminate it crosses all sectors of race, religion and socioeconomic status. It is absolutely amazing that we sent a man to the moon decades ago. Computers now fit  in a pocket.  We have made tremendous strides in cancer research using nanotechnology, in many instances eradicating the disease.  But today in the state of Texas, almost 30 years later, we continue to fail in the practice of building habitable and safe homes.

A message from Janet Ahmad
Countdown to Lobby Day and Sunset Hearing

Treasury's Paulson says government to take over Fannie, Freddie
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. Treasury Dept. said Sunday it is placing troubled mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae under conservatorship by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Under the plan, the FHFA will assume the power of the board, and the two firms' cheif executives will resign after a transitional period. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said: "Based on what we have learned about these institutions over the last four weeks ... and given the condition of financial markets today, I concluded that it would not have been in the best interest of the taxpayers for Treasury to simply make an equity investment" rather than take over the firms outright. Read and Post Comments

LULAC Calls for Abolishment of TRCC to Assured New Homes are Built Correctly
It is LULAC’s intention to call on all Texas Legislators to abolish the TRCC and support legislation to regulate the homebuilding industry and assure all future new homebuyers that a home is built in compliance with HUD minimum property standards and the state adopted International Residential Code before it is sold. As National President of LULAC I stand in support of the rights all Americans to be assured that new homes are built correctly and protected by adequate consumer protection laws.  Be assured that new homebuyers will not be denied something so basis as decent housing for their hard earned dollars.

HomeOweners for Better Building Response to Sunset Report -TRCC Historic Hallmark for Bad State Policy
The Sunset review confirms what Home Owners for Better Building has asserted since the establishment of TRCC in 2003, that there is no incentive for builders to construct homes with care or to get it right the first time. By establishing TRCC as a burdensome process daunted with bureaucratic roadblocks for homeowners; fearless and confident bad builders simply ignored their customers.  To that end TRCC aided in pushing 88% of aggrieved homeowners into costly binding mandatory arbitration, protracted legal disputes or to simply give up in submission; setting an historic hallmark for bad state policy.

Texas Watch responds to Sunset Report - TRCC Must be Abolished
Texas Watch agrees wholeheartedly and enthusiastically with the Sunset staff’s recommendation to abolish the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC).  The staff’s review of the agency has verified the complaints homeowners have made since the agency was established in 2003 – that the agency is not only an unnecessary barrier to the resolution of disputes between homeowners and builders, but is also a stacked process that does more to protect the interests of the homebuilding industry than those of Texas taxpayers, homeowners, and consumers...We agree with Sunset staff that the TRCC is beyond repair.  Homeowners are better served by simply abolishing the agency.

Take Back Your Rights PAC Response to TRCC Sunset Report - Abolishing the TRCC is the right thing to do for all Texans
Our organization commends the fine work that is outlined in the Sunset Staff Report.  This comprehensive report revealed the detrimental results the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) has on our new-home consumers.  Take Back Your Rights PAC knows that abolishing the TRCC is the right thing to do for all Texans...The commission should not be continued; it should be eliminated.  The TRCC is one more obstacle that homeowners in Texas must endure on the road to dispute resolution.  The foundation of the Texas Residential Construction Commission is structurally flawed and must be demolished.  The TRCC is both harmful to consumers and wasteful.  We must eliminate government waste and remove bad policy.

Facing closure, TRCC makes some changes
The governing board of a state agency criticized for being too easy on shoddy home builders adopted proposals on Thursday to make the agency more consumer-friendly but declined to require builders to be licensed and bonded. The Texas Residential Construction Commission also voted down a proposal to modify the commission's makeup to have more public members than builder members. The commission now has four builder members, three public members, one engineer and one inspector. The commission was responding to a sunset staff review report that said the 5-year-old agency is ineffective and should be abolished.