Press Release: HOMEOWNERS CALL FOR END TO HOMEBUILDER AGENCY |
Wednesday, 24 September 2008 |
Groups Support Sunset Staff Recommendation to Abolish Builder Protection Agency
Homeowners who have seen firsthand the problems posed by the Texas Residential Construction Commission came to the state Capitol today to encourage lawmakers to abolish the agency. âThe state should not burden taxpayers and further frustrate victimized homeowners with this agency. We must eliminate government waste and remove bad policy. The Texas Residential Construction Commission must be abolished,â said Carolyn Becka, Vice President of Texas Back Your Rights.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2008 |
Contact: Alex
Winslow
,
Texas
Watch,
512-381-1111 |
HOMEOWNERS CALL FOR END TO HOMEBUILDER AGENCY
Groups Support Sunset Staff Recommendation to Abolish Builder Protection Agency
AUSTIN
â Homeowners who have seen firsthand the problems posed by the Texas Residential Construction Commission came to the state Capitol today to encourage lawmakers to abolish the agency.
The Texas Sunset Commission met Tuesday to gather public input on the Sunset Commission staff recommendation to abolish the Texas Residential Construction Commission. Homeowners and consumer representatives told the legislative commission that the TRCC serves the interests of the homebuilding industry, not
Texas
homeowners.
âThe TRCC is built on a faulty foundation,â said Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch. âWe need to scrap it and restore the rights of
Texas
homeowners.â
Created in 2003 after intense lobbying by the homebuilding industry, the TRCC was billed a way to help resolve disputes between builders and homeowners. Unfortunately, it has never been given the authority to force repairs and does not truly oversee the homebuilding industry. Instead, the agency causes needless delays for consumers seeking to hold a bad builder accountable and provides a false sense of protection for homeowners who expect the TRCC to protect them from the actions of unscrupulous builders.
â
Texas
history will record TRCC to be the hallmark of a bad state policy, driven by the building industryâs agenda to unnecessarily punish homebuyers for the mistakes of their builder,â said Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for
Better
Building
. âHomeowners helplessly stand by frustrated as their homes and values are falling all because of industry greed and higher profits without accountability.
âThe state should not burden taxpayers and further frustrate victimized homeowners with this agency. We must eliminate government waste and remove bad policy. The Texas Residential Construction Commission must be abolished,â said Carolyn Becka, Vice President of Texas Back Your Rights.
The TRCC is under review by the Sunset Commission. After a thorough review, the Sunset staff concluded that âcurrent regulation of the homebuilding industry is fundamentally flawed and does more harm than good.â
The Sunset Commission will consider the staff recommendation, as well as the input gathered from the public at Tuesdayâs hearing, and will make a final recommendation to the legislature to consider when lawmakers reconvene in January.
N. Alex Winslow
Executive Director
Texas Watch
815 Brazos Street, Suite 603
Austin, Texas
78701-2509
512-381-1111 office
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