Congress Unanimously Passes Paul/Hutchison Bill to Help Matagorda County Property Owners

Washington, DC:  Congress today voted unanimously to pass legislation originally introduced by Congressman Ron Paul that will provide much-needed relief to some Matagorda County property owners.  Without the passage of Paul’s bill, several property owners in the Matagorda Dunes home sites faced severe land-use restrictions and loss of their property values.

Paul’s legislation was needed to prevent the mistaken application of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (COBRA) to the Matagorda Dunes home sites.  An acknowledged mapping error by federal officials subjected many Matagorda Dunes property owners to burdensome COBRA regulations, making it nearly impossible for those owners to obtain federal flood insurance.  Without flood insurance their property values plummeted; the result was catastrophic for property owners who invested in the development under the belief it was excluded from COBRA.

“I’m very pleased we were able to get this done in Congress,” Paul stated.  “Land-use issues are very important in Texas, and too often federal bureaucrats with no understanding of local realities make all the decisions.  With the help of Senator Hutchison we were able to cut through the federal red tape and save some Matagorda Dunes homeowners from a serious financial hardship.”

Congressman Paul originally introduced HR 154 in the House of Representatives on the first day of the 108^th Congress.  Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced identical legislation in the Senate.  Both bodies passed the legislation unanimously.