A strange, good thing came about in Texas in landlord tenant relations during this session of the Texas Legislature. After decades of fighting, tenant advocates and the apartment industry representatives successfully cooperated to make important improvements in landlord-tenant law. SB 1448 by Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) and Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) is the case in [...]
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Archive | June, 2009
I thought pigs would fly first, but landlord and tenant advocates work together
June 6, 2009
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Texas Monthly blows it on Yvonne Davis rating
June 5, 2009
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I am not a big fan of Paul Burka of Texas Monthly or his 10 Best and 10 Worst of the Texas Legislature. Generally speaking I usually ignore it because he favors process over substance and the financial interests of big business over those of average people. I can’t ignore Burka this year however. He [...]
Read moreTen years of remarkable success: Texas Bootstrap Housing Program
June 5, 2009
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Ten years ago Senator Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) authored and passed legislation that has built hundreds of affordable homes in Texas, and has served as an example of what can be accomplished with inspiration, ingenuity, and modest state funding. Most importantly it shows us that successful affordable housing programs recognize the dreams and aspirations of the [...]
Read moreTexas legislature rejects adoption of federal fair housing law
June 4, 2009
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The 1968 Fair Housing Act requires that HUD and other federal agencies, as well as their grantees further fair housing. The courts have recognized that this “affirmatively furthering” duty requires HUD to “do more than simply not discriminate itself; it reflects the desire to have HUD use its grant programs to assist in ending discrimination [...]
Read more TexasHousers on Twitter
June 3, 2009
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For those given to chronically wasting time or suffering from insane levels of boredom, follow the goings-on of Texas Housers via Twitter. No promises that I’m going to keep this up for a long time.
Read moreOnce again, here is my prescription for fixing TSAHC
June 3, 2009
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I wrote a year ago concerning my recommendations for the future of the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) but in light of the agency’s current precarious situation I want to restate what I think should be done to create a compelling mission for the agency. Because the functions of TSAHC and those of the [...]
Read moreTexas State Affordable Housing Corporation left twisting in the wind
June 3, 2009
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The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) was the least noticed among for state agencies left in limbo by the Texas Legislature’s adjournment yesterday evening. TSAHC had undergone a scheduled review by the state’s Sunset Advisory Commission a little over a year ago. Because of opposition of some members of the Legislature to continuing the [...]
Read moreBo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 6/2/2009
June 2, 2009
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Ever-optimistic realtors claim steady sales transactions at foreclosure auctions bode good news for the housing industry but realists point out that market is dominated by bottom feeders. The general economy is not supporting re-investments; no one is certain if and when it will recover. Managers of federal housing funds in Texas cities continue to catch [...]
Read moreThe truly critical issue the Legislature failed to act on
June 2, 2009
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My colleague Robert Doggett pointed out to me yesterday just how pathetic the Texas Legislature’s efforts to deal with the home foreclosure crisis was this session. The Texas Legislature failed to take any action to deal with the foreclosure crisis or the predatory lending practices which fueled the crisis we find ourselves in. One reason [...]
Read moreSummary of legislative action on Texas housing trust fund
June 1, 2009
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John Henneberger note: Kristin Carlisle in our office coordinated efforts on behalf of the Housing Texas coalition to gain a dedicated funding source and increase the money available for the Texas housing trust fund. Here is Kristin’s summary of the results of the coalition’s efforts. I’ll have more to say about this in future postings. [...]
Read moreBo McCarver’s weekly housing news compilation – 5/26/2009
June 1, 2009
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John Henneberger note: I have fallen a bit behind in posting Bo’s excellent housing news summaries during the last weeks of the Legislature. Here is last week’s posting. More “doom and gloom” is forecasted for the US housing market as the recession has yet to bottom-out and more households find it impossible to pay mortgages. [...]
Read moreQuick summary of Texas Legislature’s housing accomplishments
June 1, 2009
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The 80th session of the Texas legislature will be gaveled to a close sometime tonight. There is always a sense of relief among the participants, both the elected members and the lobbyists when a session finally ends. Over the course of the coming weeks I will write about the fate of a number of housing [...]
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Bo McCarver’s housing news clips for May
- Mitt Romney at private fundraiser: I might eliminate HUD – The Washington Post
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Bo’s housing news clips: Study finds zoning segregates lower-income students in lower-scoring schools.
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Texas LIHTC housing program rocked by second earthquake in two months
- Low-Income Housing Program Compels Building in Poor Texas Areas – NYTimes.com
