March 26, 2020
President Trump Approves Texas Disaster Declaration

On March, 25, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Texas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing.

The President’s action makes Federal funding available for Crisis Counseling for affected individuals in all areas in the State of Texas. View the full details below.
Hays and Burnet Counties Issue Stay Orders

Hays and Burnet Counties have issued shelter in place Orders. Both Orders exempt residential construction, which means  residential construction will be allowed to continue.  
 
The Hays County Order is in effect until April 10th. The Burnet County Order is in effect indefinitely, until it is rescinded by the county judge.
 
For jurisdictions that allow residential construction to continue,
builders must ensure that all safety standards are maintained at all times.
Please see article below.
Safety Standards at the Job Site

During these challenging times, there will be much scrutiny of home builders and trade professionals. In order to ensure the home building industry maintains its exemption from Shelter in Place Orders YOU MUST enforce the following social distancing orders .

  • 10 or fewer people at any one location

  • Maintain at least a 6 foot distance between people at all times

  • All personnel to travel only to and from compliant sites with no non-essential stops

  • Make sure workers are being screened for symptoms

  • Make sure worker protection protocols are in place

For sample Response Plan, review the Construction Industry Safety Coalition Recommendations: COVID-19 Exposure Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Plan for Construction below
Businesses With Under 500 Employees Please Read!

If your business has under 500 employees, you MUST post this notice regarding the Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Your HBA Staff, Board and other volunteer Members,
continue to work diligently to advocate on behalf of all HBA Members
to keep the construction industry moving so our community has safe housing.

Please visit the HBA COVID-19 web page for updates   www.hbaaustin.com/covid-19

This information is not intended to provide legal advice, nor be the authority on COVID-19
updates, and we cannot guarantee real-time updates on every matter. We provide this
information as a courtesy for you to use in conjunction with your due diligence.