| THE GADFLY | ||||||||||||
| May 2015 | ||||||||||||
| The NAR Government Affairs Directors Newsletter | ||||||||||||
| The GADFly is produced by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® to provide Government Affairs Directors (GADs) at state and local REALTOR® associations with tools, news and information to help you serve your members. To add one of your staff members to the distribution list, or to be removed, contact Kyle Lambert London at klambertlondon@realtors.org/202-383-1203. | ||||||||||||
| In This Issue... | ||||||||||||
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| 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meeting & Trade Expo | ||||||||||||
 REALTOR Party Booth #1707Have you used an RPAC grant? Used our campaign tools to get your REALTOR® candidate elected? Led a placemaking activity in your community? We want to hear about it! Stop by the REALTOR® Party Booth #1707 at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo to record a short video telling us how you’ve successfully used REALTOR® Party resources. |
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| RPAC Table and Major Investor Computer Lounge Calling all RPAC Champions! Get in the game and pick up new residential and commercial RPAC brochures and ribbons at the RPAC table during the REALTOR® Party Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Enter our bean bag toss competition to win a Samsun Galaxy Note II Lite. The RPAC Table and Major Investor Computer Lounge will be in the lobby of the Marriott Wardman Park from Tuesday, May 12 – Friday, May 15. |
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| Fundraising and Communication Through The REALTOR® PAC Management System Aristotle will be hosting 2 sessions at May Meetings perfect for GADs interested in learning more about the robust online fundraising program. We’ll be covering the educational and solicitation email program, phone banks and event-based fundraising options. Are you a new GAD? There are RPAC Management System introductory sessions available as well. |
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| REMINDER: ELECTRONIC FPC Packets for Mid-Year Meeting This year, your Federal Political Coordinators (FPCs) will not receive paper packets when they arrive in Washington, D.C. for NAR’s Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo. Instead, FPCs have been provided e-packets where all necessary information is available for download and printing. The electronic packets are available for download through the REALTOR® Action Center FPC page. FPCs can print their packets in advance or print them once they arrive in D.C. at their hotel or the FPC Lounge (2nd Floor Event Room, NAR building). CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FPC E-PACKET You may get questions from your FPCs about these e-packets, so the details are the following. These e-packets include the talking points and Congressional Maps data reports that are helpful in their meetings on Capitol Hill as well as a helpful tips document with important phone numbers, meetings, lodging information and restaurant recommendations. They will also be able to download a map of the Capitol complex, a map for D.C. Metro, their RPR Report (if they so choose) and their cheat sheet on the Do’s and Don’ts of Meeting with Members of Congress. *PLEASE NOTE: The 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). Thank you in advance for helping the FPCs get the information they need for their meetings next week. If you have questions, please contact Victoria Givens at vgivens@realtors.org. |
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| Tuesday | ||||||||||||
| Want to Talk about Placemaking in Your Community? If you are coming to NAR’s Legislative Meetings, and passing by the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Cabinet Room on Tuesday, May 12 from 9:30 am to 1 pm, stop by to chat with Holly Moskerintz about your placemaking project idea or to get some ideas from Holly on potential projects. Then apply for the Placemaking Micro-grant, implement the project and meet an NAR Consumer Outreach Core Standard. |
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| Meet a Core Standard and provide a member benefit – at the same time. Stop by the Expanding Housing Opportunities (EHO) and Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH) classes to learn more about offering these courses, which satisfy a Community Outreach Core Standard requirement. Students who take EHO learn to better leverage partnerships and resources to expand housing opportunities. Those who take EAH learn about an employer-provided benefit to help meet the housing needs of employees; the three most common benefits – education, counseling and financial assistance – and how REALTORS® can initiate an employer-assisted housing program in their community. Both classes will be held Tuesday, May 12, 9:00 AM -1:00 PM (drop in at any time). |
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| NEW FOR GADs – Legislative Issues Briefing on Tuesday May 12, 2015 In response to requests from the GAD community, NAR Government Affairs will host a special legislative issues briefing exclusively for GADs on Tuesday, May 12. The GAD briefing will be held from 1:00 to 2:00pm at the Omni Hotel. This meeting is in addition to the traditional Friday GAD meeting. GADs will have the opportunity to attend both the FPC Roundtable Meeting (starting at 2:00 PM in the Omni) and NAR 360 which is held at the Marriott Wardman Park at 4:00 PM. The GAD briefing will feature Jerry Giovaniello and the entire team of NAR lobbyists and political field staff. The meeting is an opportunity to conduct peer to peer discussions about the 2015 Legislative Meetings and will include time for Questions and Answers. This will also be your chance to get hard-copies of the NAR talking points for the Hill Visits scheduled for later in the week. Your FPCs will receive hard-copies of the talking points at the FPC Roundtable Meeting. |
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| RPAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony The secret is out! The RPAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is open to all meeting attendees this year! Come cheer on your colleagues as they walk across the stage to receive this prestigious honor. The ceremony will occur Tuesday, May 12, 2015 from 5:30-6:30pm in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel - Ballroom Salon A. Please click HERE for a list of this year’s inductees! Please contact RPAC Staff Member Desta Wallace for more details. |
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| Wednesday | ||||||||||||
| RPAC Fundraising Forum Come one, come all to learn the “Tricks of the RPAC Trade” at the RPAC Fundraising Forum! There will be live demonstrations and interactive events to provide you with new and improved RPAC fundraising ideas to bring back to your state. Join us on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 from 3:00-5:00pm in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel – Lobby Level, Salon 1 and we’ll put some new tricks up your sleeve! Please click here for the Forum Flyer. |
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| Thursday | ||||||||||||
| TOD Walking Tour Along DC’s Red Line A few spaces are still available to join NAR’s commercial members on May 14 for a tour to see how a public transit project can spur residential and commercial development, revitalize neighborhoods and create opportunities for those in the real estate industry. Sign up today to take a walking tour around 2 of DC’s Metro stations. www.realtor.org/educsessmid.nsf/allpages/15WalkingTour1100. |
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| Friday | ||||||||||||
| When, Where and How Can I Use My Drone? Attendees will get answers to these questions and more at the 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. On Friday, May 15 at 9 am, hear from two Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials about the regulatory status of commercial drone use, and an Arizona REALTOR® who has obtained a waiver from the FAA to use a drone in his business. The FAA is currently developing a regulatory framework that would integrate drones into the national airspace, while ensuring safety, privacy and national security. Realtors are excited to use this technology to market residential, commercial, and land listings of many sizes. |
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| Issues Mobilization Workshop: Tax Campaigns Taxation is an ever-present issue for the real estate industry, and REALTOR® associations continue to meet tax challenges head on at both the state and local level. The always-popular Issues Mobilization Workshop will feature presenters from three associations who will discuss their advocacy campaigns on taxation issues. The Issues Mobilization Workshop will be held on Friday, May 15, from 10am-12noon, in Delaware Suite A (Lobby Level) of the Marriott Wardman Park. |
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| Government Affairs Directors Meeting* 12:30 – 1:30, Washington Hilton, International Ballroom East, Concourse Level Join the GADs for this hour-long meeting featuring an interview with Arlene Davis, Chair of the REALTOR® Party Member Involvement Committee on new roles for these members; discussion with Stephanie Spear, NAR Commercial Regulatory Policy Representative, on what GADs need to know about Drones; updates on RPAC fundraising from Brooke Roth, Managing Director of RPAC Fundraising, and specifics about the upcoming 2015 GAD Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, including the opening of registration for this event. We will also hear reports from GADs who serve on other NAR committees, so please come prepared to share your committee news! |
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| State Government Affairs Directors Breakouts* 1:30pm – 2:30pm, Washington Hilton, Lincoln East, Concourse Level Local Government Affairs Directors Breakouts* 1:30pm – 2:30pm, Washington Hilton, International Ballroom East, Concourse Level |
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| Government Affairs Directors Professional Development Session* 2:30pm – 4:00pm, Washington Hilton, International Ballroom East, Concourse Level Government Affairs Directors will take a deep-dive into two topics during this discussion: Minimum Core Standards and Issues Mobilization. Specifically, an overview of how boards have been dealing with the new minimum core standards requirement as a whole, as well as how boards have been meeting their advocacy requirements. Examples from a state and local association who have had success assisting their associations in this area will be discussed. Secondly, GADs will discuss the new requirement to provide “skin in the game” for their issues mobilization campaigns. Examples from boards that have been successful in building state and local funding for issues will be discussed. |
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| *NEW THIS YEAR! - GAD MEETINGS WILL BE AT THE WASHINGTON HILTON* | ||||||||||||
| GAD Reception sponsored by Target Smart 6:30pm – 8:30pm, St. Arnolds Mussel Bar/The Abbey 3433 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (Just one mile from the Marriott Wardman Park). Details and map will be provided at the GAD Meeting. |
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| Other REALTOR® Party News | ||||||||||||
| Issues Mobilization Program: Changes to New Association Contribution Policy At their April 15 meeting, the State and Local Issues Mobilization Support Committee approved amendments to Program policy that address two “issues of interpretation” about the Association Contribution policy that have arisen since it became effective in January 2015. These changes relate to Multi-Phase Requests and In-Kind Contributions. Program policy now defines “In-kind, non-financial contributions” as activities or resources provided without charge that would otherwise require payment from the campaign budget. Program policy also now provides that, on a grant request exceeding $1 million that is split into phases for strategic purposes, the percentage contribution requirement of the requesting association is based on the overall grant amount requested rather than on the amount requested per phase. Please see the revised Issues Mobilization Program Guidance Document by clicking here. |
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| REALTOR® Party Mobile Alert Banners Tens of thousands of REALTORS®  have already joined our texting platform - REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts – to be informed immediately when there’s a call for action so elected officials hear from real estate professionals before they make important decisions about the housing industry and private property rights.In an effort to promote REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts, NAR has created banners for Local and State Associations to use on websites, in newsletters or anywhere members go online. You can access these banners through the Realtor Action Center online at http://www.realtoractioncenter.com/realtor-party/mobile/banners.html. You can also simply ask your members to join REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts by texting REALTORS to 30644. |
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| Webinar: Reactivating Vacant Properties into Community Spaces Is your community faced with blighted and vacant properties that are disrupting the neighborhood's sense of community and lowering property values? Then tune in to NAR’s next Placemaking webinar which will focus on how to address and deal with vacant properties, specifically vacant lots, in your community. After a brief overview of vacant properties and the negative impact on a community, you will hear from several organizations, including a REALTOR® association, on how they are transforming vacant and abandoned lots into community open spaces and vibrant gathering places. Register for the Webinar. |
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| NAR Comments on UAV Regulations NAR submitted comment letters to two government agencies working on topics related to the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, or drones. NAR submitted a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in response to its proposed rules governing the safety of using UAVs in the National Air Space (NAS). NAR also submitted a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in support of its working group on privacy challenges in the commercial use of UAVs. Please visit www.realtor.org/drones to read both letters and learn more about NAR’s engagement on the issue. |
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| Are you Planning a Broker State Meeting? Please coordinate and involve your Broker Involvement Council member in these meetings. Each state Broker Council member has up to $1,000 to use for broker recruitment activities, including the broker meeting. The monies can also be used for Broker Program brochure mailings or enrollment raffle prizes (states have given away iPads, gift cards). Be sure to have your Broker Council member submit the meeting summary and agenda to Erin Murphy. |
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| RPAC Major Investor Events The halfway point of the 2015 fundraising year is quickly approaching! Do you have the tools you need to meet your Major Investor goals? Fulfill one of the criteria to win the RPAC Triple Crown or NAR President’s Cup Awards by hosting a Major Investor event. Working with your state’s RPAC Major Investor Council representative(s) on planning your Major Investor event is crucial to its success. Don’t know who your MIC representative is? Click here for a list or contact Lauren Facemire for more information. Also, save the date for our upcoming webinar featuring Major Investor event best practices on Wednesday, May 27 at 3:00pm EST. |
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| 2015 President’s Circle Update President’s Circle is launching its third round of targets for 2015 later this month, with an emailed link to President’s Circle members. Members may invest $500 in Round 1 and $500-$2,000 in Rounds 2-3. 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. |
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| 2015 GAD Institute | ||||||||||||
| Get Ready to Register! This year’s GAD Institute will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah from July 15 – 18 and registration opens next week. Before you register, check out our website for all of the latest information on sessions and speakers. Details and additions are still being added to the schedule, so keep checking back for additional information. Hope to see you there! |
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| From NAR’s Economist Outlook Blog: | ||||||||||||
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| David Stark Public Affairs Director, Bay East Association of REALTORS® |
As a lobbyist are you always in Washington DC?
I answer this question every time someone asks about my profession. Rather than giving them a simple “no” I explain how real estate transactions and home ownership are subject to local, state and federal laws and regulations and that I take care of the “local” stuff.
And I go to DC, too.
Like many local GADs I visit DC and our state capitol at least once a year and while on these trips I’m reminded about the local nature of all politics. Several of our recently elected state assembly members and one of our local congress members all started in local politics. Term limits for California state offices has created a “career path” for politicians that starts on the city council – and that’s where I first met the Congress member I’ll be visiting in DC in mid-May.
The 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo will be a chance for me to catch up with that former city council member plus network with NAR staff and the GAD Nation. We have a great agenda for the GAD meeting on Friday afternoon, a professional development session and the GAD reception Friday evening. In other words, “going to DC” will include much more than lobbying and I’m looking forward to it all.
Safe travels to all the state and local GADs heading to DC. See you on the Hill!
| Follow the REALTOR® Action Center! |
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GAD Directory |
SAVE THE DATE
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2015 Campaign Management Training | ||||||
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REALTORS® Legislative Meeting and Trade Expo Washington, DC May 11 – 16, 2015 |
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2015 GAD Institute July 15-18, in Salt Lake City, Utah Registration opens the week of May 11th. |
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REALTORS® Conference and Expo November 13, - 16, 2015 San Diego, California |