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TREPAC stands for Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee. It is a non-partisan political action committee that is focused on supporting candidates that support the rights of private property, homeownership, and the real estate profession. TREPAC focuses on having the right people in the right place at the federal, state, and local level. It is a completely voluntary, nonprofit organization that ensures the REALTOR® voice is heard in Congress and at the State Capitol.

The real estate industry faces constant legislative and regulatory proposals which can negatively impact your business. REALTOR® representation is huge for fighting these proposals that could potentially create barriers to property ownership, increase any costs of doing business and real estate transactions, and helps to maintain the positive environment we have in the real estate industry. Investing in TREPAC is the best way to be an advocate for your clients and insuring success for your business. You insure everything else in your life. Why not insure your business?

Timeline – a history of success

TREPAC has a long history of defending your earnings, preserving the health of the real estate industry, and advocating for property owners and real estate consumers.

2019 – Supported legislation giving taxpayers more information about how tax rates are set and how to engage in the rate-setting process. Changed the rollback rate for most cities and counties from 8% to 3.5% and require voter approval to exceed the rollback rate.

2019 – Supported legislation providing comprehensive reform of the state’s public school finance system and property tax system to lessen the burden on local property taxpayers while increasing the state’s investment in educators and students.

2019 – Supported legislation requiring municipalities seeking to annex an area into its limits to hold an election for the affected residents to decide whether they wish to be annexed.

2019 – Supported legislation to extend TREC for six years, maintain SDSI status, require additional reporting to the Legislature, Governor, and Sunset Commission.

2017 – Supported legislation prohibiting cities from imposing fees on all new residential and commercial construction.

2017 – Supported a bill providing buyers with information about the impact of nearby military installations.

2017 – Required cities in populous counties that want to annex an area to receive voter approval in the area to be annexed.

2015 – Passed a constitutional amendment to ban any tax on real estate transfers and increase the homestead exemption to $25,000 in one motion.

2015

– Repealed a $300 fee that double-taxed brokers for their two year license

2015 – Supported substantial business tax relief with a 25% reduction in the franchise tax rate

2015 – Revised the property appraisal process to ensure equal and uniform property valuation

2015 – Supported legislation to improve Texas roads by ending diversions from the Texas Highway Fund, decreasing bond debt, and allocate motor vehicle sales taxes to the state highway fund

2015 – Required a super majority vote and notification on the taxing unit’s website before a local taxing jurisdiction may increase a property-tax rate

2015 – Enacted protections against bad-faith claims of patent infringement against end users located in, or doing business in Texas.

2015 – Supported changes to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association to improve funding, efficiency, and private market participation.

2013 – Played a key role in addressing the state’s long-term water and public education needs

2013 – Helped enact critical consumer-protection laws in the property-tax lending industry

2011 – Fought for and passed a revision to the Deceptive Trade Practices Act that effectively exempts real estate brokerage from liability under the act—as long as the broker or agent hasn’t committed an unscrupulous or illegal act

2011 – Helped the Texas Real Estate Commission attain a self-directed, semi-independent status, insulating the agency from future state-mandated budget cuts and enabling TREC to better serve licensees and consumers

2011 – Passed a measure eliminating most future private transfer fees on real estate transactions

2011 – Enacted strong consumer protections in eminent-domain proceedings

2011 – Passed numerous HOA-reform bills that increase homeowners’ rights and promote more efficient, transparent and effective HOA management

2009 – Defeated multiple proposals to tax real estate, including several bills requiring the creation of a tax on every deed recorded by the county clerk

2007 – Prevented a property tax from being imposed on personal vehicles also used in the production of income

2005 – Codified regulations relating to a minimum level of service a real estate broker must provide to a consumer

2003 – Defeated a proposal which would have created a 1% real estate transfer tax on the sale or lease of all real property

2001 – Killed legislation that would have levied an 8% sales tax on the sale of all real property—commercial, residential, farm and ranch, industrial, raw land—all of it.

1999 – Established a much-needed consumer-protection statute requiring the mandatory licensing of mortgage brokers

1997 – Authored a constitutional amendment protecting a homeowner’s equity by requiring an 80% loan-to-value ratio on refinances, preventing borrowers from becoming upside down on their home loan

1993 – Required a seller of residential property to use a promulgated property-condition disclosure form, thereby decreasing liability on the seller and real estate licensees

Please click here to see what your TREPAC Level is.