Naked City

New homeowners don't always get what they pay for, but homebuilders do – thanks to the nearly $9 million they've contributed to Texas elections in the last four years. As it happened, state lawmakers, many of whom benefited from the large contributions, quietly passed legislation (House Bill 730) in the 2003 session that limits homeowners' rights to bring claims on shoddy construction jobs.

In a report released Monday, the public advocacy group Campaigns for People breaks down the money trail that contributed to the creation of the new Texas Residential Construction Commission. The commission now requires homeowners to jump through a series of bureaucratic hoops before they can bring suit against homebuilders, said Fred Lewis, executive director of Campaigns for People. He said Houston mega-developer Bob Perry, who contributed $7 million to the Texas election process, was the driving force behind the legislation.

Lewis' group teamed with HomeOwners for Better Building, an advocacy organization that grew out of the Perry initiative, at a press conference Monday at the Capitol. According to the report, the biggest dollar amounts from homebuilders went to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and House speaker, followed by Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, who got $36,700, and Rep. Todd Baxter, R-Austin, who got $41,500. Estes and Baxter serve on the Senate and House committees that conducted hearings on the legislation. The report is available online at www.cleanuptexaspolitics.com/homeownersreport.