By Artis Gordon

The Homebuilders Political Action Committee focuses on real-estate development, residential and non-residential construction and sales, mortgage financing and remodeling.

The group gave $139,810 to 96 Virginia legislators during the 1999 election cycle, making the PAC the 11^th-biggest donor to General Assembly members.

Ten percent of the group’s contributions went to two Democratic delegates: C. Richard Cranwell of Vinton, who got $6,560, and Donald L. Williams of Norfolk, who received $6,500. Other top recipients from the Homebuilders PAC were:

• Delegate Alan A. Diamonstein, D-Newport News - $5,500.
• Sen. Martin E. Williams, R-Newport News - $5,500.
• Delegate John H. Rust Jr., R-Fairfax - $5,000.
• Delegate Franklin P. Hall, D-Richmond - $5,000.

The PAC gave $77,560 to 47 Democratic legislators and $62,250 to 49 Republican lawmakers.

Cranwell is the minority leader in the House – and had been majority leader until the Democrats lost power to the Republicans this year.

He is on the House Finance, Labor and Commerce and Rules committees. Cranwell is a patron for bills concerning tax exemptions for homeowners and the rezoning and construction of real property for conditional improvement purposes. He is also a co-patron of the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, concerning homeowners’ rights to receive or recover property that is abandoned.

Williams is a member of the Tidewater Builders Association. He also is a patron of a bill to create the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, which seeks to ensure the safe construction of homes and other structures. The Virginia Housing Study Commission plans to examine the issue and make building code recommendations to the Legislature.

Williams is a co-patron of the bill that would allow the commission and the Virginia Housing Development and Authority to study strategies for increasing home ownership opportunities among minorities and immigrants.