9 Texas REALTOR® Advocacy Wins in 2019

Texas REALTORS® had an incredible year as the strongest advocates for real estate consumers in the state.

Here’s a look back at several events and achievements that helped position the association and its members at the forefront of grassroots engagement and public policy leadership.

3,000 REALTORS® Packed the Texas Capitol

On March 26, 2019, almost 3,000 REALTORS® converged on the state Capitol to discuss the association’s legislative agenda with their senators and representatives during REALTOR® Day at the Texas Capitol. See event photos on Flickr.

An Incredible 86th Session

The 86^th Texas Legislature took up several issues relevant to Texas real estate. REALTORS® fought for the passage of legislation that protects private property rights and the real estate industry, including historic property tax reform, long overdue school finance reform, and an in-depth evaluation of the Texas Real Estate Commission.

Thanks to a show of force from REALTORS®, the session was a resounding success.

Read the recap (or watch the video version) here.

6,100 Messages in One Day

When important legislation to reform the property tax system was up for a vote in the Texas House in April, REALTORS® went into action. In only 28 hours, more than 6,100 REALTORS® sent messages asking their state representatives to support the bill that ultimately passed.

Don’t miss important calls for action like this in the future—sign up for REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts by texting txrealtors to 30644.

2 More Counties Ended Forced Annexation—Then They All Did

During the May 4 municipal elections, Texas REALTORS® engaged in successful campaigns to stop forced annexation in two North Texas counties, using resource from the Texas REALTORS® Issues Mobilization Committee and the National Association of REALTORS®. The elections passed with incredible approval rates of 91% in Montague County and 87% in Ellis County.

After six annexation campaign wins in 2018, this brought Texas REALTORS® to a perfect 8-0 in efforts to stop forced municipal annexation at the county level.

The success of these campaigns showed the Texas Legislature that Texans oppose the concept of forced annexation. Lawmakers agreed and passed legislation this session that ended forced annexation statewide and now requires municipalities to have voter approval before annexing.

Big Presence in D.C.

Also in May, more than 430 REALTORS® went to Washington, D.C., for the National Association of REALTORS® Legislative Meetings. They met with members of the Texas congressional delegation to discuss federal issues, including flood insurance, opportunity zones, and fair housing. The REALTOR® Political Action Committee honored several Texas REALTORS® and local associations in Texas during the RPAC Awards Ceremony for their achievements.

Read a recap here.

Bringing in Big Names

Texas REALTORS® hosted several events throughout the year featuring prominent names in politics and public policy. These are just a few …

The association hosted A Conversation with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in January and then A Conversation with Texas Senate Committee Chairs in March.
During Winter Meeting in February, the Public Policy Forum featured Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor; the Governmental Affairs Forum featured Ross Ramsey, executive editor and co-founder of The Texas Tribune; and Texas Sen. Pat Fallon was the featured speaker during the TREPAC Awards Breakfast. See the full event recap in Texas REALTOR® magazine.
During the Texas REALTORS® Conference in September, the Public Policy Forum welcomed Sen. Kelly Hancock and Rep. Craig Goldman to discuss the legislative session.
At October’s TREPAC/Governmental Affairs Orientation, attendees welcomed Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick and NAR 2020 Vice President of Advocacy Christine Hansen.

2019 Award Winners

The association awarded several accolades for advocacy achievement in 2019.

Thirteen Texas REALTORS® were recognized with the Spirit of TREPAC Award this year.
The Political Involvement Committee granted the Grassroots Advocate of the Year Award to Kristy Wages of the Palestine Association of REALTORS® and bestowed the Strike Force Award on Sid Thom and Melody Gillespie of the MetroTex Association of REALTORS®.
Members recognized Sen. Kelly Hancock with the Texas REALTORS® Legacy Award for his commitment to protecting private property rights during his tenure in the Texas Legislature.
Retiring Vice President of Governmental Affairs Mark Lehman received the Texas REALTORS® Legacy Award for his 21 years of service to the organization. The award for political affairs work at the local level has been renamed in his honor.

Record-Breaking Fundraising Year

Thanks to your dedication, TREPAC had its best fundraising year ever, bringing in more than $5.7 million with 48% of Texas REALTORS® participating. Read more.

3 Pro-Real Estate Victories in November

In November’s election, Texas voters approved all three REALTOR®-support constitutional amendments on the ballot by large margins.

Prop 2 will help with water infrastructure projects, Prop 3 will provide a temporary property tax exemption for property owners in areas declared disasters by the governor, and Prop 8 created a Flood Infrastructure Fund to develop infrastructure that helps communities better withstand future flood events.