In Wake of Historic Election, Change is on the Way

It’s the dawning of a new day. After the shock and elation or disappointment wash over us, and we all have taken a collective deep breath, we can begin looking to the future. And in that future I think it is safe to say that changes, well, they are a come’in.

But before going into other election results, I first want to mention on the eve of Veteran’s Day that we all take a moment to honor all of those who have fought, sacrificed, and died for our country to have the great privilege of not only living here, but to have the blessing of a peaceful transition of power based on the vote of the people. To have the choice to decide, however controversial or contentious, which of our fellow citizens will lead our country is not a blessing or right that was easily obtained or ensured. Brave men and women fought with everything on the line and the fate of our nation many times resting atop their shoulders to ensure and protect the luxury we enjoy of living and voting in a democratically free society. I mention this so that when we all do take that breath, and we all do reflect that we also remember something larger than our current emotions, and recognize those who have preserved our rights and safety as well as those who are protecting our county today, and will protect the generations to come.

For all our veteran members, I thank you for your tremendous service to this nation we all love and cherish so much.

Now on to the results.

The outcome of the presidential race is widely known at this point. For any who might not yet be aware, in addition to President-Elect Trump heading to the White House, both the House and Senate will now be controlled by a Republican majority. All three branches of government are in Republican control. What will this mean? It simply means that there is little in the way of the Republican policy agenda.

The Republicans do not have more than 60 votes in the Senate, which, under the current rules, could provide a modest speed bump from the Democrat. But mostly the Republicans will have their policies advanced under the new Congress and president. Sweeping changes are expected on health care, tax reform, infrastructure, financial regulation, regulation in general, and of course, foreign policy. These changes will all potentially come quickly as the first 100 days are always the most consequential for a new president.

In Texas, Republicans still hold all branches of state government, though their significant majority in the Texas House was slightly diminished. Democrats gained four seats in the Texas House, but Republicans still hold an overwhelming majority at 95-54.

Republican incumbents Reps. John Lujan, Rick Galindo, Gilbert Peña, and Kenneth Sheets all lost to their Democrat challengers. However, going into the election about ten races were thought of as being competitive, and the Republicans Reps. Linda Koop, Cindy Burkett, Rodney Anderson, Wayne Faircloth, J.M. Lozano and Sarah Davis held off their challengers. We were thrilled to see the longtime supporters of our industry in Rep. Burkett, Anderson, Lozano, Faircloth, and Davis all win and will return to Austin come January.

The Texas Senate welcomes a few new faces, like Senators-elect Dawn Buckingham, Bryan Hughes, and Borris Miles. The composition of the Texas Senate based on party affiliation is the same as it was in the previous session - 20 Republicans and 11 Democrats.

Both Miles and Hughes are former Texas House members with a strong relationship with our industry and supported early by TMHA. Senator-elect Buckingham is new to state level politics, and TMHA also supported her election efforts with our TMHA PAC. TMHA recently welcomed her on a plant tour of the Clayton facilities in her district which includes the City of Belton. Senator-elect Buckingham’s family was in the manufactured home construction business in the 1970’s and 1980’s, so she is already familiar with our industry.

With the coming federal changes and the Republican majority still secure in the Texas legislature, it is safe to say changes are coming that will impact our industry. TMHA is already working on our state level legislative agenda for the 2017 Texas session, and we expect to have several bills we will be aggressively advocating for to improve and ensure the continued success and growth of our industries. With the Republicans controlling the federal government, we potentially have better chances at passing the Preserving Manufactured Housing Act, as well as regulatory changes impacting our industry from HUD to the CFPB.

The one thing that is certain based on this election’s outcome in particular is that changes are coming both federally and at the state level. TMHA will be exceptionally busy in both federal and state arenas working to make the changes that will benefit our industry, and pave the way for continued and growing success.