COVID-19 BUILDING INDUSTRY UPDATES
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $50 MILLION IN LOANS FOR TEXAS SMALL BUSINESSES
Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that Goldman Sachs and the LiftFund are partnering to provide $50 million in loans to small businesses in Texas that have been affected by COVID-19. These Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of up to $250,000 can be used for operational expenses like payroll, rent and utilities and are eligible to be partially or wholly forgiven.

To qualify, you must be an independent contractor or sole proprietor or your business/organization has either employees (not more than 500) or independent contractors for whom they have associated payroll costs and reside in the U.S. Your business must also have been in operation as of February 15 of this year.  Apply here
HARRIS COUNTY PROCESSING HARD COPY TAX CERTIFICATES
When the Harris County’s “Stay Home, Work Safe” order went into effect, the Harris County Tax Office closed to the public and halted many of the services that they provided as they worked through ways to work from home. This included not processing original tax certificates for subdivision plats. Since then they have developed a process for issuing those tax certificates. 

There are two options for obtaining these certificates. 

Option One: Email Samira Moghadam, the Lobby Services Manager, your tax certificate request at samira.moghadam@tax.hctx.net . Once she processes the request, she will notify you that they are ready for payment and pick up. Pick up on Wednesday’s between 4:00 PM and 4:45 PM at the Harris County Distribution Center, 11525 Todd Road, Houston, TX 77055.

Option Two: Mail the tax certificate request and payment to P.O. Box 4663, Houston, TX 77210-4663. Once the Tax Office processes the request, the tax certificates will then be mailed back to the requestor. 
NAHB MEMBERS URGED TO 'STAND DOWN' FOR CORONAVIRUS SAFETY ON MARCH 16
NAHB is urging members, and all residential construction companies, to halt work for at least 10 minutes on Thursday, April 16, for a COVID-19 Job Site Safety Stand Down to educate workers on what they should do to keep themselves safe from coronavirus and to help “flatten the curve” for everyone.

NAHB has developed detailed blueprints — in English and Spanish — for builders to conduct their COVID-19 safety stand downs, including guidance on sharing the resources digitally.

The Department of Homeland Security recently designated construction of single-family and multifamily housing as an “Essential Infrastructure Business,” allowing construction to continue in places under stay-at-home orders. Although this designation is not binding on state and local governments, it does mean that there could be more workers on construction sites in the coming weeks.

“With more workers coming back to job sites, we need to make sure they have all the information they need to stay healthy and safe,” said NAHB Chairman Dean Mon, a home builder and developer from Shrewsbury, N.J. “It is critical that everyone on a construction site alter their normal behavior and strictly follow public health guidelines while at work.” Read more
UPCOMING GHBA WEBINARS
April 21 at 1:30 pm with GHBA General Counsel Ian Faria on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and SBA guidance on the Paycheck Protection Program, all specific to the residential construction industry. Stay tuned for a link to register.
 
April 28 at 10:00 am with NAHB Chief Economist Rob Dietz on a national overview of COVID-19’s impact to the residential construction industry. Stay tuned for a link to register.
For more visit ghba.org/covid19