Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation. The House considered several appropriations measures this week.

Dear ,

Thank You for Taking Action!

Over the past week, we had two targeted Calls for Action where FPCs were crucial. The first Call for Action against the TROL Act, was targeted at just House Energy and Commerce Committee Members. Your efforts were successful in making it clear to the Committee that the bill must be improved before a full House vote. Representative Joe Barton (R-TX), the second ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, used the Realtor experience to define the impact on small business on the House floor. Rep. Barton’s FPC, Martha Dent, in particular had a tremendous impact. Major kudos Martha! Thank you!

The second CFA, on Waters of the U.S., is being targeted to the entire House of Representatives and remains open until the vote on Tuesday, May, 5. This is an HOUSE FPC ONLY CFA so we are aiming for 100%. This is our chance to show what our elite grassroots force can do. If you have not yet taken action, please do so now.

Take action and urge your Representative to protect private property rights by supporting H.R. 1732. 

ELECTRONIC FPC Packets READY FOR DOWNLOAD

The talking points and Congressional Maps data reports within your FPC e-packets are ready for download TODAY. Please consider printing out your packets in advance of your May meetings in Washington, D.C. so you have time to familiarize yourselves with the issues.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS YOUR FPC E-PACKET

The electronic packets are always available for download through the REALTOR® Action Center FPC page. The FPC packets include the following:

• Talking Points
• Helpful Tips
• NAR Congressional Map Report
• Do’s and Don’ts of Meeting with Members of Congress
• RPR Report
• Capitol Hill Map
• D.C. metro map

*PLEASE NOTE: Your talking points will also be available at the FPC Roundtable (May 12/2pm), the Federal Issues Briefing (May 13/7am), and the FPC Lounge (May 13/14 7am-4pm).

Have You Registered for NAR’s Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo?

We have 449 FPCs registered for NAR’s Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. That’s fantastic! It is very important that each and every one of you be here, so please register. If you are not planning to join us in May, please email Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org. 

REMINDER: RSVP to Your FPC Events in May

Please make sure to RSVP to the FPC Roundtable (Tuesday, May 12 at 2pm) and FPC Reception (Wednesday, May 13 at 6pm). It is important that you use the link below to RSVP. Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

New FPC Lounge Location!

The FPC Lounge will be hosted in the NAR Building this year (2nd floor event room) from 7am-4pm on May 13th and 14th. You will be able to file your field reports here, print your FPC Packets, visit with your peers and enjoy light snacks throughout the day. NAR staff will be on hand at all times if you have questions or need help with the computers.

Live Townhall Webcast with Jerry Giovaniello: MAY 6^th

Please mark your calendars for May 6^th and the Live Townhall Webcast with Jerry Giovaniello and NAR Lobbyists. Your stellar legislative team will highlight the issues REALTORS® will present on Capitol Hill and be available to answer questions from the audience.

REGISTER FOR THE TOWNHALL HERE

Important FPC Meetings: NAR’s Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo

If you have not already done so, please mark your calendars for the following important meetings in May.

Upload Photos to FPC Flickr Page for the Slideshow at the FPC Reception

If you are planning to attend the FPC Reception on May 13^th, please send in your photos to the FPC Flickr page so we can be sure to feature you on our slideshow. You have been doing great work in the district and taking many candid photos with your Members of Congress. Any photos you’ve added to the FPC Facebook page or Flickr page will be included in the slideshow.  To upload our photos now, click here.

FPC Stipend Details

The stipend of up to $1,000 per FPC helps to defray the costs incurred to travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the REALTORs® Legislative Meeting and Trade Expo. The reimbursement process will be the same as in previous years: FPCs, following state reimbursement rules, should file their expense report with the state immediately after their trip. States then should submit one invoice to NAR for the entire state FPC delegation that attended the meetings and are requesting the stipend. The invoice should list the name of each FPC requesting assistance, and the amount (they may vary) being requested for each FPC. Invoices should be submitted to NAR by July 1, 2015. Please email your invoice to govcpapay@realtors.org. Questions should be directed to me at vgivens@realtors.org

  FPCs Please Send in your Headshots
Thanks to the many of you who have already sent in your headshots. We love seeing your faces. If you have not done so, please send us your headshot! When you send us your photo, you will be entered to win a $200 Visa gift card that will be given away at the FPC Roundtable in May. So get your photos in right away. Please e-mail your picture to vgivens@realtors.org. 

NAR Submits Comment Letter on Drones

NAR submitted a comment letter this week addressing many issues in dealing with privacy challenges in using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) technology in real estate. The comments focused on NAR’s commitment to honoring citizen privacy rights and espousing best practices for privacy in UAS use. To read more about NAR's position on drones and see the comment letter, click here.

**FPC Weekly Newsletters are now online!