A review of recent actions and public statements suggests the answer is yes.
90th Texas Legislature | Issue 3
Governor-elect Hinojosa
Throughout the 2026 campaign and following her election victory, Governor-elect Hinojosa consistently made affordability, particularly housing affordability, a central theme of her message. She emphasized making homeownership more attainable by reducing barriers to construction and expanding property tax relief.
As a state representative, Hinojosa authored legislation in the last session to restrict corporate investor purchases of single‑family homes (HB2910 and HB2334) and to address predatory rental practices (HB1184 and HB1185). She also served as a member of the House Committee on Land & Resource Management, which was assigned an interim charge to examine factors that could improve housing attainability and affordability.
As governor, Hinojosa will have the ability to name emergency items. These priorities will be the only matters legislators can take a vote on during the first 60 days of the 140-day session. Whether housing remains a top priority should become clear when the emergency items are announced near the opening of the legislative session.
Pre-Filing of Bills
Pre-filing of bills for the 90th Texas Legislative Session opened November 9th, the first Monday following the general election. The 40 freshman members entering the House represent the second-largest number in the past 32 years. The last time turnover reached a similar level, in 2013, the number of pre-filed bills declined significantly. Many pre-filed bills are reintroductions of legislation that failed to advance in previous sessions. For example, Senator Zaffirini filed SB64 this week, which would reduce the number of seller-financed transactions exempt from mortgage licensing from five to three within a consecutive 12-month period. This same language was contained in SB74 during the last session, and that bill never received a hearing.
We have already begun monitoring bill filings to identify legislative initiatives that could affect the mortgage industry. Through the first three days, 1,355 bills have been submitted, several hundred bills fewer than were filed on the first day alone last session. One legislative tracking analysis, which categorizes bills into 23 policy areas, including one titled Housing and Property Rights, has already assigned 60 of the pre-filed bills to this policy area. Look for more regular updates after the 90th Texas Legislature convenes on January 12, 2027.
U.S. Congress: House Committee on Financial Services
Former Chairwoman Maxine Waters issued a letter on November 6th announcing her campaign to return as Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services. The letter emphasizes housing affordability, accountability, and accessibility as key priorities. Among her proposed initiatives is a plan to “Put housing first by renaming the Committee to be the ‘Committee on Housing and Financial Services.’”
This memo reflects the opinions of Doug Foster. If you have questions about the Texas legislative process in general, please reach out to Doug Foster.
Doug Foster at Doug.Foster@mortgagelaw.com
Allan Polunsky at Allan.Polunsky@mortgagelaw.com
Marty Green at Marty.Green@mortgagelaw.com
