| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Neutral | Positive | Neutral | Neutral | Positive |
Relating to the regulation
by a developer of the installation of solar energy devices in a residential
subdivision.
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
SB 1626 would amend the Property Code to allow a developer,
of a planned housing division, to prohibit property owners in that division
from installing a solar energy device on their homes. The developer would only
have the authority to do this for a division with fewer than 51 planned homes.
While a housing division is under construction the
contractor of that housing division usually serves as the interim property
manager. Currently, these contractors may prevent a property owner from
installing a solar energy device on their home if it is in the new development during the development phase which can last for years.
We support SB 1626 because it would only allow a contractor
to ban solar energy devices for the duration of the development in communities with fewer than 51 homes. This
legislation goes in the right direction, even though we would have liked it to
have implemented a complete prohibition on contractors banning solar energy devices.
This legislation would protect a property owner’s individual
liberty and property rights by preventing a developer's prohibition on solar energy devices in larger communities with longer development times. On this basis we support SB 1626.