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Faced with a long local history of dangerous tornadoes, Cooke County officials wanted to help residents protect themselves. They achieved that goal by offering homeowners financial incentives to build tornado shelters and safe rooms.

The Texas Association of REALTORS® installed its 2016 officers this month during the Texas REALTORS® Conference in Fort Worth. Set to take office on Jan. 1, 2016, these officers have more than a century of combined leadership experience, serving in the Texas real estate industry and their local communities. Incoming officers include Chairman Leslie Rouda Smith of Collin County, Chairman-Elect Vicki Fullerton of The Woodlands, Secretary/Treasurer Kaki Lybbert of Denton, and Immediate Past Chairman Scott Kesner of El Paso.

One unfortunate trait shared by many rural Texas communities is a shortage of safe, decent rental housing. Because of this short supply, it can be extremely difficult – not to mention expensive – to secure such housing

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) and member institution, Amegy Bank, have awarded a $500,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant to The Men's Center Inc. The grant will help the Houston-based nonprofit build a $12.2 million, 56-unit housing complex for men and women ages 18 and older who are recovering from substance abuse and other crisis situations.

Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today welcomed Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairman Dr. Bryan Shaw, who testified before a Subcommittee on Environment hearing to examine the impacts of the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plan regulation. The plan would require Texas to shoulder the burden of at least 18 percent of the total national emissions reduction.

Homeowners, renters and business owners in Willacy County and Cameron County in Texas are encouraged to look over newly-released preliminary flood maps in order to determine their flood risks and make informed decisions.

MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that Collin County District Court in Texas granted a motion for summary judgment in MERS’ favor reinstating the MERS lien on the property, which the Court found to be “in full force and effect.”

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today applauded a federal court’s decision to block the expansion of the Clean Water Act by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The new Clean Water Act requirements took effect today. The injunction out of North Dakota impacts the 13 states that were part of the lawsuit filed in North Dakota in June 2015.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Mexican Secretary of Finance and Public Credit Luis Videgaray Caso, Secretary of Communications and Transport Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Secretary of Foreign Affairs José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske inaugurated the West Rail Bypass International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas. The bridge is the first new international rail crossing between the U.S. and Mexico in 105 years, connecting Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

As Texans rebuild or repair their homes damaged by the May 4 through June 22 storms, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local home improvement stores have teamed up to provide free information, tips and literature on making homes stronger and safer

I’m thrilled to be home in Texas this week! I will be attending some great events and meetings with folks across the district. I will be in Lubbock meeting with homeschoolers from the Texas Home Educators Organization. It’s always great to meet with our youth and future leaders. I will also attend the Lubbock Area Republican Women Luncheon. I’m looking forward to meeting with our local credit unions to discuss the economy and what I am doing to bring regulatory relief to our community financial institutions.

As a recipient of Community Development Block Grant funds, the City is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to identify the various factors that may affect fair housing choice in Midland and to develop an action plan to overcome them. The AI resulted in the identification of six major impediments to address in the next five years

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Mortgagee Review Board (MRB) today announced settlement agreements with two Texas mortgage lenders following allegations they engaged in a scheme to charge bogus fees to consumers, which improperly inflated mortgages for borrowers purchasing newly constructed manufactured housing

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) is pleased to announce that, in partnership with its member financial institutions, it has awarded more than $7.6 million in Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grants to 30 projects, primarily within its five-state District.

The Mid-America Building (310 W. Illinois Ave.), Midland Executive Center (301 N. Colorado St.) and the previous County Courthouse located along Wall Street will be demolished one-at-a-time by contractor Lloyd D. Nabors Demolition LLC of Hutchins in the coming months. Demolition is scheduled to first begin on the Mid-America Building starting Aug. 10 and move to the adjacent Midland Executive Center the weekend of Aug. 21.

As important as it is to make home repairs as soon as possible following a natural disaster, it also is important to take some time to plan the project, consult with local officials and choose a contractor wisely

Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today released the following statement after the president announced the EPA’s final rule to regulate emissions from U.S. power plants. The final rule goes a step further than drafts issued in 2013 and last summer, mandating power plants cut an average of 32 percent of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. The rule is estimated to cost Americans $8.4 billion annually, making it one of the most costly rules of all time

Rep. John Carter (R-TX-31) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. “President Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are once again ignoring the law and the will of Congress by grasping for authorities well outside what the Clean Air Act provides. Congress, even a Democrat-controlled Congress, rejected ‘cap and trade’ and President Obama’s overreaching energy policies

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tonight issued the following statement after S.1881, a bill to prohibit federal funding of Planned Parenthood, failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required for cloture

Two State/FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) will open on Monday, Aug. 3 and Thursday, Aug. 6, at noon in Wharton County for homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage as a result of the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from May 4 to June 22