 |
|
Whips: The Majority Whip is, in effect, the
assistant majority leader, in either the House or Senate. His job is to
help marshal majority forces in support of party strategies and
legislation. The party caucus elects the Whip. The Minority Whip performs duties of whip for the minority party. Members of the minority party elect the Minority Whip. During NAR's Policy Conference, attendees heard from Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the U.S House Majority Whip.
|
|
Dear ,
Registration Now Open for REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade
Expo
Registration
for REALTORS® Legislative Meetings
& Trade Expo (May 11-16) is now open. As you know, this is the time of year
where NAR members take an active role to advance the real estate
industry, public policy and the association on and around Capitol Hill. As
FPCs, we look forward to seeing you all in Washington, D.C., for special issues
forums, committee meetings, legislative activities and the industry trade show.
Note, the FPC Roundtable will take place on May 12th at 2pm and the
FPC cocktail reception will take place on May 13th at 6pm. So mark
your calendars and register today.
REGISTER HERE
As you are
aware, FPCs are all guaranteed a room at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. Please book your room through the
registration system. If you have any questions you can contact Victoria Givens
at vgivens@realtors.org.
REMINDER: Submit Policy Conference
Expenses
Thank you to
those of you who joined us in Washington, D.C. for NAR’s Federal Policy
Conference and New FPC Training. This is a reminder to please file your expense
reports as soon as possible. You may list Victoria Givens, Manager of Realtor
Mobilization Programs, as your staff executive. You can find the NAR Member
Travel Policy and Procedures HERE. You will need to download and
complete the member expense report; print, sign, and create a PDF to submit by
emailing directly to expenses@realtors.org.
WEBINAR:
Introducing Yourself to the New Congress
Please join the
Congressional Management Foundation for a webinar on Feb 23, 2015 at 1:00 PM EST.
Register now!
New Congress. New
advocates. Tried and true strategies. Now is the time to learn the successful
basics of a relationship with your Member of Congress and staff. This webinar
is also a good refresher course for veteran advocates.
Participants will learn:
- Value of identifying key committee chairs (and why some are more important
than others).
- How to build relationships with new Members of Congress.
- CMF research on best practices for building relationships with new lawmakers
back home.
The webinar will
not be recorded; however, handout materials are available upon request. If you
have any questions regarding this presentation, please contact Susie Gorden at
CMF at sgorden@CongressFoundation.org.
After registering,
you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the
webinar.
View System
Requirements
FPC Contact
Team Deadline: March 1, 2015
As many of you know, if you do
not already have an FPC contact team, your new team must be built by March 1st. Once
you have identified your team members, please report their contact information
to your RPMIC representative.
Find Roster of RPMIC Members Here
Guidelines and tips on how to
build your contact team can be found in this one pager or accessed in your FPC
handbook. We are also providing an FPC Team recruitment letter template if
you would like assistance explaining their role and expectations. You can
access that letter here.
FPC Online Training
Dates
NAR will be hosting three online training sessions for those
who wish to participate. New FPCs who were not able to attend the training in
D.C. are required to attend one of the sessions. Other veteran FPCs who are
interested in a refresher course are welcome to join. Please RSVP to Victoria
Givens at vgivens@realtors.org if you
plan to join one of the following sessions. At that time you will be given
further information as to how to join the webex.
- Training 1: Friday, Feb 27th: 10:00am-11:30am
EST
- Training 2: Monday, March 2nd: 3:00pm-4:30am
EST
- Training 3: Wednesday, March 4th: 10:00am-11:30am
EST
VIDEO: Chris
Polychron on the 2015 Federal Policy Conference
We invite you to take a minute and view a quick video of 2015 NAR
President Chris Polychron as he wraps up the 2015 Federal Policy Conference held
earlier this month in Washington D.C.
VIDEO:
Section 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges: An Update
In this video, we invite you to join Evan
Liddiard of the National Association of REALTORS® as he describes the
importance of the section of the tax code that allows like-kind exchanges of
property in a conversation with NAR's Erin Stackley. To view the video, click here.
"The
Innovation Act" Reintroduced in the House
On
February 5, 2014, U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA),
re-introduced “The Innovation Act” — the same patent reform legislation that
passed in 2013. H.R. 9, like the one introduced in 2013, builds on the reforms
that were made in the America Invents Act and addresses certain abusive
practices. The bill would require plaintiffs to disclose who the owner of a
patent is before a lawsuit is filed and demand that plaintiffs explain why they
are suing a particular defendant in their court pleadings. It also requires
courts to decide early on whether a patent is invalid. (Read more)
Important 2015 President's Circle Reminder
President’s Circle launched its first round of targets for 2015 to President’s Circle members last month. During this round, President’s Circle members may invest $500 in one of the four national party committees in honor of any Member of Congress. FPCs have the option of contributing $500 directly to the Member of Congress they serve as FPC. (An FPC must choose either a $500 contribution to their Member of Congress OR a National Party Committee they cannot do both).
FPC Spotlight
Recently, Mrs. Liz English, FPC for Rep. Peter King (NY-2) was named the
recipient of the Legislative Advocacy Award for her outstanding leadership in
pursuit of the Long Island Board of Realtors legislative agenda including
raising awareness and financial support for both RPAC and the Broker
Involvement Program. Also worth honorable mention, Mr. Bob Oppenheimer, FPC for Rep. Scott Jarrett
(NJ-4) was named first Vice President of the New Jersey Realtors.
|
Tips of the Trade
This Week: How
to Write a Letter to Your Legislator
While it is best to try and
communicate with your member in person, there are instances where a letter or
e-mail is appropriate and even necessary. As you are aware, NAR has developed a
number of Calls for Action on the REALTOR® Action Center Website, which can be
accessed here
that enable you to quickly and easily communicate with your elected officials
on issues important to NAR. If you decide to write your own letter, this list of
helpful suggestions will improve the effectiveness of your communication:
1. State your
purpose: Your purpose for writing should be
stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If the letter pertains to a
specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly, e.g., House bill: H.R.
____, Senate bill: S. ____.
2.
State your position: Explain how a bill would affect you,
your family, your business, or even your state or community.
3.
Focus on one issue: Address only one issue in each
letter using facts and examples to support your position, and if possible, keep
the letter to one page.
4.
Be courteous: However, do be firm, confident, and
positive.
5.
Address your letter: Put your return address on the
letter, not just the envelope. Envelopes are often thrown away before a letter
is answered.
6.
Explain: Be clear as to whether you are
writing on your own behalf or as president of an organization, chairman of a group etc.
7.
Ask for a reply: Indicate to your legislator that
you would appreciate a reply containing his or her position on the issue. As a
constituent, you have a right to know your representative’s views.
8.
Follow up: If your legislator’s vote on the
bill pleases you, express your thanks. Everybody appreciates a complimentary
letter. By the same token, you should express your dissatisfaction with votes
that do not support your position.
Addressing Correspondence:
|
To
a Senator
|
To
a Representative
|
To
a Chair of a committee or the Speaker of the House, it is proper to address
them as:
|
|
The Honorable (full name):
|
The Honorable (full name):
|
Dear Mr. Chairman or Madam
Chairwoman:
|
|
United States Senate
|
United States House of Representatives
|
Dear Mr. Speaker or Madam Speaker:
|
|
Washington, DC 20510
|
Washington, DC 20515
|
|
|
Dear Senator (last name):
|
Dear Representative (last name):
|
|
|
**FPC Weekly Newsletters are now online!
