Governor Abbott Presents Opening Texas Report
At a press conference Monday afternoon, Governor Abbott announced his plan to reopen Texas. The Governor issued a report, “Open Texas” that outlines his vision to get Texans back to work. Here are a few key takeaways from the press conference:

  • Governor will let his emergency declaration expire on April 30.
  • Restaurants and movie theaters can open up at 25% occupancy.
  • Others permitted to return to work May 1 include sole proprietors, doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care professionals.
  • Phase 2 of Abbott's reopening plan could begin as early as May 18. That phase would expand the occupancy limits of retail businesses to 50%, with further increases allowed in the future as long as COVID-19 remains contained.
  • Texas has tripled the size of the Texas Workforce Commission's staff in an effort to deal with nearly 2 million unemployment claims filed since the pandemic began.
Additional Paycheck Protection Program Funding Approved by Federal Government
Last night, the House passed a $484 billion relief measure to combat the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation provided $320 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and $60 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program. The relief package also includes $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for coronavirus testing. Under the PPP loan program, small businesses with fewer than 500 employees can take out loans equal to 2.5 times their average monthly payroll from 2019 with the total capped at $10 million. For many businesses that meet key conditions on the use of these funds, the loans may be forgiven.
NAHB's BUILD-PAC Launches ‘Minutes with a Member’ Town Hall Series
Ever wonder how Washington is protecting your business? Do you have a question you want to ask a member of Congress? BUILD-PAC, NAHB’s political action committee, is launching a new virtual town hall series to answer your questions and connect BUILD-PAC donors to Washington from home.
 
Minutes with a Member is a new weekly virtual town hall series that gives BUILD-PAC investors the opportunity to interact with members of Congress who are fighting for the housing industry every day. Each town hall will be 30 minutes.
 
Special guests will include Defenders of Housing and lawmakers who sit on key committees and subcommittees important to the housing industry. Members of Congress will discuss a variety of topics, including NAHB’s priorities, key legislation moving forward in Washington and the 2020 elections.
 
The first webinar will take place Wednesday, April 29, at 2 p.m. ET. BUILD-PAC contributors can RSVP on the BUILD-PAC Minutes with a Member webpage.
HBA Serves On The Opening Central Texas for Business Task Force
The HBA has been invited to serve on the County Judge and Mayor’s  Opening Central Texas for Business Task Force . The work of this task force is to assist thoughtful and safe reopening of our regional economy. Key activities for the task force will include:

  • Evaluate and account for specific needs by industry sector
  • Evaluate the preparedness level of businesses to safeguard public health
  • Educate the business community on public health requirements and best practices
  • Monitor public health outcomes to determine whether adjustments are needed
  • Provide feedback to policymakers

Current public health measures were implemented to avoid a rapid increase of cases. The goal was to “flatten the curve”, which has been successful to date. How we reopen the economy is critical. The task force will serve as trusted advisors to our elected and public health officials so we can all get back to work stronger and safer than ever.
Local Business Economic Impact Survey – Due Friday!
Workforce Solutions Capital Area is working with the City of Austin, Travis County, and Texas Workforce Commission on a survey to learn more about how COVID-19 is affecting local businesses. The short, 5-minute survey will help policy makers make informed decisions as Texas opens back up for business. The survey must be completed by  Friday, May 1 . 
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
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.