 |
Conference Report: The document presenting an agreement reached by a joint temporary committee (a conference committee) appointed to negotiate a compromise between the House and Senate.
|
|
Dear ,
REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade
Expo Major Success
Last week, over 8,000 REALTORs® from all over the country joined together in Washington D.C. to continue
a tradition that goes back throughout NAR’s 100+ year history. Every single Member of Congress and Senator heard from REALTORs® on legislative issues
affecting real estate. Much of that effort was thanks to you, our incredible FPCs who did an
excellent job of conveying our talking
points. Please give yourselves a big pat on the back. We had a full house at the FPC Roundtable with over 500 in attendance (standing room only!) and a great turnout at the FPC Reception and Lounge. Thanks to all of you
for your hard work, especially those who worked diligently to get your legislators to sign the RESPA
letter to the CFPB. We were able to secure over 250 signatures. A major accomplishment! Please take the time to
thank your Member of Congress if he or she signed onto the letter. If you are
unaware whether or not they have done so, you can reach out
to Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org.
FPC
Stipend/Reimbursement Details
As you are likely aware, each FPC
who attended the REALTORs® Legislative Meeting and Trade Expo in Washington,
D.C. last week will be afforded up to $1,000 to help defray the costs of the
trip. 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.
For questions about who to contact in your state or other queries, please
contact Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org
Remember to File Your Field Reports
After a
busy week of meetings, please don't forget to file your field reports.
We have one month until the end of the quarter and this is the perfect
opportunity for you to tell us about your interactions both in
Washington, D.C. and back in the district. You can file your field
reports HERE.
Important 2015
President’s Circle Reminder
Did
you know 147 FPCs
are 2015 President’s Circle members (up from 124 last year)? That’s 27% of you
who are taking advantage of this unique opportunity! You further strengthen the
REALTOR® Party beyond what we can do with RPAC dollars alone by investing $500 directly
in the Member of Congress you 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 in Round 1) To remain a President’s Circle member your first
$500 is due by May 31st, all $2,000 in President’s Circle funds is due by
Sept. 30th.
“As a REALTOR® and an FPC, I truly believe in the mantra of Vote, Act & Invest.
Our elected officials know who Votes & Acts, but they really pay attention
to those of us who Invest. My credibility with my Member of Congress has
skyrocketed in large part because of my investment in RPAC and especially the
President’s Circle program. The financial investment in RPAC & the
President’s Circle will speak volumes about your commitment to our Industry and
Association.” -- 2015 NAR RPAC Fundraising
Trustee Chair and FPC for Richard Neal (MA), Kevin Sears
Current
PC Roster
Contact: Lauren
Facemire at lfacemire@realtors.org/202-383-1080
or Maggie FitzGerald at mfitzgerald@realtors.org
/ 202-383-1078
FPC Spotlight: Meritorious Service Award
Winners
For those who do not know Rick Violett (CA) and Ilene
Kessler (MD), they exemplify what it means to be an FPC in every sense of the
word. Besides their close relationships with their legislators, Rick and Ilene
have gone above and beyond over the years in all aspects of advocacy. From
motivating others to participate in Calls for Action, to getting out the vote
in election years and educating their Members on Realtor issues where it counts,
both FPCs deserve a huge congratulations for their dedication and hard work in
supporting the Realtor Party. These MVP’s of our varsity team should be what
each FPC strives to embody as we set our goals for being good advocates and
citizens in this next cycle for the 114th Congress. Cheers Rick and
Ilene! Thanks from all of us at NAR.
Winner of the FPC Headshot Contest: Joanne
Darling!
The clock ran out during the FPC Roundtable in Washington,
before we could recognize the winner of our $200 Visa gift card, but we do have
a winner. Congratulations Joanne Darling, FPC for Senator Barbara Mikulski! You’re
the winner of the FPC Headshot drawing and your gift card is in the mail. If
you have not yet sent in your headshot, we are still collecting them as we
would like one photo for every FPC. So even though the contest is over, please still send in your FPC headshot.
NAR President Chris Polychron Testifies on
Capitol Hill
On May 14, NAR President, Chris Polychron testified before
the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. He urged
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to implement a grace period for
those seeking to comply in good faith with new rules for loan closing
procedures and settlement documents. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
and Truth in Lending Act integrated disclosure rule is set to take effect
August 1. To read more about the hearing, click
here.
When, Where and How can I Use My Drone
There will be a time when REALTORs® can legally fly an
unmanned aerial system, or drone, around property listings to capture images
for marketing purposes, but that time has not yet arrived, at least not
completely. That's according to Federal Aviation Administration officials who
told REALTORS® on May 15 during a session at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings
& Trade Expo. For more on what was said, click
here.
NAR Sends Letter to House Small Business
Committee
On May 13, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing
titled "Bridging the Small Business Capital Gap: Peer-to-Peer Lending."
The purpose of the hearing was to examine the rise of peer-to-peer lending
platforms that seek to satisfy the demand for debt capital that is currently
not being met by banks and other conventional lenders. NAR sent a letter to the
Committee thanking the Chairman, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Ranking Member
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) for holding the hearing and supporting the protection and
enhancement of capital flow to commercial real estate. You can read the
letter
here.
Economic and Housing Market Outlook
These slides are from the Economic and Housing Market Outlook
presentation given by Lawrence Yun during the Residential Economic
Issues & Trends Forum at the REALTORs® Legislative Meetings &
Trade Expo in Washington, DC, on May 14, 2015.
**FPC Weekly Newsletters are now online!