Recess: Congress is currently in recess. When Congress has recessed, business has been put "on hold." For example, Congress often holds business sessions only on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so that legislators can visit their constituents over a long weekend that includes a work day. At such times, Congress has not adjourned but is, instead, recessed.  Congress also recesses the week of a federal holiday like Easter.

Dear ,

1^st Quarter FPC Report

Congratulations on a very productive first quarter. You hit the ground running with your advocacy efforts as we began this 114^th Congress and it shows. We had 428 FPCs meet in person with their Member whether in the District or in Washington D.C. In addition, 41 states reached the goal of having 100% of our FPCs file their field reports. That’s fantastic. You all truly rallied around your new Members of Congress, engaged your veteran legislators and made inroads on issues where we may have previously been struggling.

Of all the great work being done this quarter, I would like to highlight what one of our FPC’s produced regarding the 1031 Like Kind Exchange tax provision. Felton McLaughlin is a CCIM Realtor from Albany, NY and FPC to Congressman Paul Tonko. After meeting with his Congressman and realizing that Rep. Tonko needed a fuller awareness of how a 1031 exchange works and the local economic benefits, Felton was able to get clients and other commercial realtors to sign an educational letter which brought Rep. Tonko full circle and into understanding NAR’s position. The letter was authentic, well executed and timely. One of the real-life stories that Felton had sent in was also recently highlighted at a Capitol Hill press event emphasizing the importance of 1031 Like Kind Exchanges to the broader economy. Thank you for your keen awareness and advocacy efforts Felton!

  IMPORTANT DATES: Webinars, Trainings and Meetings

Please mark your calendars for the following important dates leading up to and during NAR’s Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C.

April

• April 6^th (2pm EST) – Regional Legislative Webinar with Karl Eckhart/Helen Devlin
• April 20^th (3pm EST) – Regional Legislative Webinar with Lindsay Shuba/Dan Blair
• April 30^th (2pm EST) – RPR Federal Economic Area Report Training Webinar

Please RSVP to Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org if you plan to attend any of the above webinars.

May

• May 6 (2pm EST) – Live Townhall Webcast with Jerry Giovaniello and NAR Lobbyists

Note: Registration for this webcast will be sent on April 20^th

• May 12^th (2pm EST) - FPC Roundtable (Omni Shoreham)
• May 13^th (7am EST) - Federal Issues Briefing (Marriott Wardman)
• May 13^th (6pm EST) - FPC Reception (Omni Shoreham)
• May 13th & 14th (7am-4pm EST) - FPC Lounge (NAR Building, 2nd Floor Event Room)

  Electronic FPC Packets for NAR’s Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo 

This year, your FPC packets will be electronic, which means you will be able to download and print all of your information in advance. Your electronic packets will be available for download at the end of the month through the Realtor Action Center FPC page. Your electronic packets will include the following:

• Talking Points
• NAR Congressional Map Report
• RPR Report
• Capitol Hill Map
• Helpful Tips
• Important meetings
• Restaurants around town
• Contact Information for NAR Grassroots Team

You will receive your leave-behind material for your Capitol Hill meetings at the FPC Roundtable on May 12^th, the Federal Issues Breifing on May 13th and at the FPC Lounge. If you have any questions, please contact Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org.

  Regional Legislative Webinar Now Available for Download

If you missed your Regional Legislative Webinar and are not able to join another one before May, you can download a previous session HERE. This session occurred on March 30 with NAR lobbyist Kevin Donnelly and political representative Chris Gosselin. These webinars are being held exclusively for FPCs and their teams. Participants are made privy to the latest legislative intelligence and have quality time for question and answer with their NAR legislative representatives which is crucial leading up to Capitol Hill meetings in May.

  VIDEO: Credit Access Symposium Brings HUD Secretary Castro to NAR

NAR President Chris Polychron opened a summit on credit access yesterday by welcoming Julian Castro, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, who said his agency is looking at the credit scoring issue as part of its effort to improve credit access to Americans. To read more and watch a video about the event, CLICK HERE.

  SEC Moves Forward on Crowdfunding

At an open meeting on March 25, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a proposal that will finalize the bulk of the rulemaking left to the agency to create the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012. To read more about the issue, CLICK HERE.  

  FHA Electronic Appraisal Delivery

Last week, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published Mortgagee Letter 2015-08, Electronic Appraisal Delivery (EAD) Portal for FHA-Insured Single Family Mortgages.  This Mortgagee Letter announces FHA’s implementation of its EAD portal, and provides information about the portal and its mandatory use with FHA case numbers assigned on and after June 27, 2016. To view the letter and more information on the matter, CLICK HERE.  

**FPC Weekly Newsletters are now online!