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Special Rule-A resolution reported by the Rules Committee that, if agreed to by the House, sets the terms for debating and amending a specified measure or measures. |
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Dear ,
2016 1st
Quarter Re-Cap
Thank you
for filing your first quarter field reports for 2016. We had 25 states reach 100% on their FPC field
reports including: AK, AL, CT, DC, FL, GA, GU, ID, IL, MA, ME, MO, MT, ND, NJ,
NY, PA, SD, TX, UT, VA, VI, VT, WA, WI. Great work team!
Overall we
had 724 interactions this quarter
with 413 of those meetings taking
place in-person. Nice job!
I would like to reiterate the importance of filing a good field report. It
seems that several of you leave these to the last minute and they read as
rushed and not thoughtful. Please remember that you are not just checking a
box. We take these reports very seriously. It is your duty as FPCs to make
every attempt to interact in some meaningful way with your legislator. It is
understandable that this is not always possible in person, but please make the
time at least once a quarter for a well-conceived email or phone call. A simple
thank you is always great. If you have questions about how better to go about
meeting or communicating with your members of Congress, you can always reach
out to me at vgivens@realtors.org or
you can talk to your lobbyists and political directors.
That being
said, we have a number of stellar FPCs in the field who continue to file authentic
and thorough reports. I always like to
highlight one or two particularly great reports. Thanks to Angelia Levesque in Maine, FPC for Rep. Bruce Poliquin, and Nykea Pippion-McGriff in Illinois, FPC for Rep. Bobby Rush, for your excellent
work so far this year.
Reporting the Issues and Honing the
Relationship
I attended the two events in February. One
on the 16th and one on the 26th. At both events I had a chance speak with the
Congressman. At the first event he approached me and the first words out of his
mouth were "How do we like TRID? Is it working?" He remains up on our
issues and willing to listen and help. Attended with Denise Reed a REALTOR At
the second event there were a few other REALTORS attending. At one point we
were all together with him. Again we spoke about TRID but also FHA and the need
to keep it healthy and available. He asked if we were coming to see him again.
I let him know that yes we would be back this May. Attended with Andre Cushing
a State Senator and REALTOR and Tricia Quirk a REALTOR and Deb Masters a former
REALTOR.
-Angelia Levesque
Being
a Resource: Rep. Rush Report
I spoke with Dennis Hawkins, Local
Housing Director regarding foreclosures and pricing in the district. Dennis had
a few general questions about the state of the housing market in parts of the
Congressman's district, specifically parts of the Bronzeville, and South Shore
neighborhoods. Dennis had questions regarding the low pricing that he had
observed on various properties. I explained that many of the properties Dennis
mentioned are in need of considerable rehabbing but the good news is that a lot
of the distressed inventory is being rapidly absorbed. I explained the
different types of financing needed for constituents to purchase these types of
properties to help continue to spur of homeownership in some of our blighted
communities. I explained that I am happy to continue to be a resource should
any constituents have specific housing related questions.
-Nykea Pippon-McGriff
RSVP: FPC Lobbyist
Prep Salons
Please
remember to RSVP for your lobbyist prep salon in May. Please see the schedule
and map below to determine your lobbyist, find out what time your state
meets on Tuesday, May
10th, then RSVP. All salons will take place in the Washington Hilton on Connecticut
Avenue. If you have any questions, please contact Victoria
Givens at VGivens@realtors.org
or 202-383-1021.
Tuesday, May 10
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9:30am - 10:30am FPC Lobbyist Salon 7: Colin
Allen
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10:00am - 11:00am FPC Lobbyist Salon 1: Helen
Devlin |
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10:00am - 11:00am FPC Lobbyist Salon 2: Jamie
Gregory |
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10:00am - 11:00am FPC Lobbyist Salon 3: Jerry
Giovaniello |
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10:00am - 11:00am FPC Lobbyist Salon 4: Dan Blair |
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10:00am - 11:00am FPC Lobbyist Salon 5: Joe Harris |
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10:00am - 11:00am FPC Lobbyist Salon 6: Ken Wingert |
Important FPC Meetings During REALTOR Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo
Please note the following important meetings as you plan your travel to D.C. in May.
May 10
9:30 - 10:30 AM and 10:00 – 11:00 AM - FPC Lobbyist Prep Salons, Washington
Hilton
2:00 - 3:20 PM - FPC Roundtable, Omni Shoreham
May 11
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM - FPC Reception, Omni Shoreham
12:00 PM – 5:00 PM - FPC VIP Lounge, Hyatt Capitol Hill
May 12
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM - FPC VIP Lounge, Hyatt Capitol Hill
Flood
Insurance Bill Coming Into Effect
Today, April 1, 2016, a
number of changes will begin to occur as part of the 2014 Homeowner Flood Insurance
Affordability Act including the fact that National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premium rates are set to
rise an average of 9%. You will recall, this increase is less than the 2015 average and is
consistent with the annual 5-10% increases prior to the 2012 Biggert-Waters
Act, which made significant reforms to the NFIP. The
changes taking place this week are a part of the gradual implementation of new
and unsubsidized rates. For a quick look at what's happening, see the graphic below.
In
addition:
- The 2-year grace period for
NFIP policy holders who let their coverage lapse is coming to an end. Beginning
April 1, those policyholders will have 90 days to reinstate their policy in order
to maintain “continuous coverage” and continued eligibility for grandfathered
or subsidized flood insurance rates.
- FEMA will begin requiring
insurance companies to re-underwrite their NFIP policies in order to determine
if the underlying properties are being rated based on the most current flood
map. This is a critical first step toward correcting inaccurate flood insurance
rates and clearly communicating the full risk to all policy holders.
Read
more about the April 1, 2016 changes: http://nfipiservice.com/Stakeholder/FEMA7/W-15046.html
Also, here is the
realtor.org link to the flood insurance “toolkit” with a suite of links and definitions: http://www.realtor.org/topics/national-flood-insurance-program-nfip/nfip-toolkit
Military
Foreclosure Bill Passes
On March 21, 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 2393, the
"Foreclosure Relief and Extension for Servicemembers Act of 2015,"
which extends the one-year protection from foreclosure in the Servicemembers
Civil Relief Act (SCRA) through 2017. The Senate passed S. 2393 in 2015 and the
legislation is expected to be signed by the President.
You can read more about the issue and read NAR’s letter of support HERE.
NAR Joins Coalition Letter on
Marketplace Fairness
NAR, as part of the "Marketplace Fairness Coalition," sent a
letter on March 15 to the House Judiciary Committee urging its Chairman, Rep.
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) to hold a hearing on internet sales tax fairness
legislation. NAR joins others in the belief that it’s crucial Congress pass
legislation allowing states to collect sales tax on purchases made through
online retailers.
For more on the issue, click
here.
Flood Advocate Reports to Congress
On March 17, 2016, the Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate issued its
first annual report identifying the first set of issues to be addressed in the
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Among the challenges are: lack of
data, barriers to claims, application of surcharges, multi-year refunds, and
flood proofing paperwork.
NAR recently sent a letter to
Congress supporting the mission of the NFIP advocacy office and urged full
funding for the office to assist additional property owners. NAR will continue
to work to provide adequate resources for a true advocate for homeowners.
Read the Advocate's Report (link is external)
Read NAR’s letter to Congress (link is external)
Electronic FPC Packets for NAR’s Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo
This year, your FPC packets will again 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 in late April/early May through
the REALTOR® Action Center FPC page at www.realtoractioncenter/epacket2016. Your electronic packets will include the following:
- Talking Points
- NAR Congressional Map Report
- RPR Report
- Capitol Hill Map
- Do’s and Don’ts of Meeting with Members of Congress
- Helpful Tips
- Important meetings
- D.C. metro map
- 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 10th, the Federal Issues Briefing
on May 12th and pamphlets will also be available at the FPC
Lounge. If you have any questions, please contact Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org.
Hearings on the Hill
This week, all eyes were on the House as Senators were home in their
states. The Ways and Means
Committee reviewed tax reform proposals, while the Homeland Security Committee looked at the role of
cyber insurance in risk management. Meanwhile, the Financial Services
Committee examined various federal/state/ local regulations that are
impacting housing prices, and the Small Business Committee discussed the
health insurance tax credit. Budget discussions continued in the
Appropriations and Energy & Commerce Committees as they examined the
EPA budget, while the Natural Resources Committee reviewed the
budgets for the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife. If you have any questions, please contact vgivens@realtors.org.
TUESDAY,
MARCH 22
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Tips
of the Trade
This Week: Do's and Don'ts of Meeting with Members of Congress
DO
- Do learn
Members’ committee assignments and where their specialties lie.
- Do
present the need for what you’re asking the Member of Congress to do. Use
data or cases you know.
- Do
relate situations in his/her home state or district.
- Do ask
the Representative’s or Senator’s position and why.
- Do—in
case of voting records—ask why he/she voted a particular way.
- Do show
openness to the knowledge of counterarguments and respond to them.
- Do admit
you don’t know. Offer to try to find out the answer and send information
back to the office.
- Do spend
time with Members whose position is against yours. You can lessen the
intensity of the opposition and perhaps change it.
- Do spend
time in developing relationships with Congressional staff.
- Do thank
them for instances where the Member has taken a stand on an issue which you support.
DON’T
- Don’t
overload a Congressional visit with too many issues.
- Don’t
confront, threaten, pressure or beg.
- Don’t be
argumentative. Speak with calmness and commitment so as not to put him/her
on the defensive.
- Don’t
overstate the case. Members are very busy and you’re apt to lose their
attention if you are too wordy.
- Don’t
expect Members of Congress to be specialists. Their schedules and
workloads tend to make them generalists.
- Don’t be
put off by smokescreens or long-winded answers. Bring the Members back to
the point. Maintain control of the meetings.
- Don’t
make promises you can’t deliver.
- Don’t be
afraid to take a stand on the issues.
- Don’t
shy away from meetings with legislators with known views opposite your
own.
- Don’t be
offended if a legislator is unable to meet and requests that you meet with
his/her staff.
- Don’t
discount Congressional staff. Many Congressional staffers look (and are)
young. However, do not assume that such a staffer does not have
significant responsibility and the ear of his or her Member.
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**FPC Weekly Newsletters are now online!