| THE GADFLY | ||||||||||||||
| April 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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| Important Deadlines for GADs: | ||||||||||||||
 2015 Campaign Management Training Please join us for the only 1.0 version of NAR’s Campaign Management Training (CMT) course being offered in 2015. The program will begin at 8:30am sharp on Friday morning and will conclude by 3pm on Saturday. (All GADs and AEs are invited). Campaign Management Training 1.0 – (1.5 days) April 16-18, 2015 Westin Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN Hotel Rate: $149/night AEs and GADs who have completed CMT 1.0 are eligible to attend CMT 2.0, a more advanced and intensive training session, building on the foundation of the first offering. CMT 2.0 will start early on Thursday afternoon and will finish early Saturday afternoon. Campaign Management Training 2.0* – (2 days) June 11-13, 2015 The Curtis Hotel, Denver, CO Hotel Rate: $159 *Attendees must have taken NAR’s Campaign Management Training 1.0 prior to taking this course. |
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| Community Outreach Grant Deadline is April 15 New for 2015: more application deadlines, new funding levels, and changes to grant regulations. Visit Realtor Action Center to learn more. |
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| Diversity Grants – Mobilize your diverse membership to lead your association in to the future. Apply for a grant of up to $5,000 | ||||||||||||||
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| Smart Growth Grants – Shape your community into the most attractive, livable, sustainable place it can be. Apply for a grant of up to $15,000. | ||||||||||||||
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| Housing Opportunity Grants – Launch innovative activities to make affordable housing more readily available in your community. Apply for a grant of up to $15,000. | ||||||||||||||
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| Call for Interest in 2015 – 2016 GAD Advisory Group Vice Chair Position Candidates for Vice Chair must submit a Statement of Interest to the designated staff person of the National Association of REALTORS® of the year in which the election is being held. All candidates meeting this requirement will by April 30 have their names placed on the printed ballot. The Statement of Interest should include the candidate’s qualifications, reasons for seeking the position, an indication of support from their association executive, and an affirmation of interest in fulfilling the responsibilities of the position. The names of candidates who have complied with this requirement will be made known during the GAD meeting at the NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings. Click here for details. |
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| 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meeting & Trade Expo | ||||||||||||||
| General: | ||||||||||||||
| RPAC Major Investor Recognition Deadline for 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade ExpoMake sure you and your members are recognized as RPAC Major Investors in time for the 2015 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo so you can wear your Major Investor lapel pin proudly in DC! All RPAC investments need to be submitted to the NAR Finance Office no later than Friday, April 17, 2015 to meet this deadline. |
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| Tuesday: | ||||||||||||||
| 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 during the RLMTE 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. |
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| Expanding Housing Opportunities Tuesday, May 12, 9:00 AM -1:00 PM (drop in at any time) Learn more about the EHO class: |
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| Employer Assisted Housing Tuesday, May 12, 9:00 AM -1:00 PM (drop in at any time) Learn more about the EAH class: |
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| Briefing Scheduled for GADs 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: | ||||||||||||||
| Fundraising and Communication Through The REALTOR® PAC Management System Aristotle will be hosting 2 sessions at Mid-Year 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. To see the complete Wednesday and Thursday schedule, click here or contact Jennifer Hamilton. |
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| 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! |
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| Thursday: | ||||||||||||||
| TOD Walking Tour Along DC’s Red Line Come join NAR’s commercial members to see how public transit spurs residential and commercial development, revitalizes neighborhoods and creates opportunities for those in the real estate industry. Would a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) zoning district benefit your community? |
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| Residential Economic Issues & Trends Forum - NAR's Chief Economist will discuss the prospects for the economy and housing market in the second half of 2015. A representative from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will discuss issues affecting the supply of housing and the building industry’s perspective on the current market. |
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| Commercial Economic Issues & Trends Forum - NAR’s Chief Economist provides commercial practitioners with insights into the economy and its impact on commercial markets and investments. An experienced industry colleague will join in with a discussion on commercial investments, current trends in the capital markets, commercial lending or other relevant topics. |
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| Friday: | ||||||||||||||
| Education Session to Discuss Federal Water Issues On May 15, 9 am – 10 am, an Education Session will be held on how several, federal water regulations are impacting real estate. Come participate in discussions with experts on the Waters of the U.S. proposed regulation, as well as critical federal water quality actions occurring in Florida and Oklahoma. Click here for more information. |
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| 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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| Changing Dynamics, New Perspectives in the U.S. and Canadian Markets - The latest research updates will be presented and discussed by key experts with NAR’s Chief Economist moderating. Topics will include smart growth in the U.S. and Canada, international investment trends and an overview of the recently conducted Survey of U.S. and Canadian Practitioners on International Investment and Office Demand. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and will take away insights about your market. Content is developed in collaboration with the Richard J Rosenthal Center for Real Estate Studies. |
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| Government Affairs Directors Meeting 12:30 – 1:30 Washington Hilton, Concourse Level Room: TBD State and Local Government Affairs Directors Breakouts 1:30 – 2:30 Washington Hilton, Concourse Level Rooms: TBD GAD Professional Development Session - Where We Are and Where We Are Going with Core Standards and Issues Mobilization Matching Funds Update 2:30 - 4:00 Washington Hilton, Concourse Level Room: TBD |
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| Other REALTOR® Party News | ||||||||||||||
| Best Practices for Choosing REALTOR® Champions If you participated in the Train the Trainer Course, but have not scheduled your state’s offering of the Best Practices for Choosing REALTOR® Champions for 2015, please contact us soon to ensure this educational offering is available to your RPAC Trustees in 2015. |
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| 2015 Candidate Training Academies REALTOR® Candidate Training Academies are day-long courses that train those REALTOR® and/or REALTOR-friendly candidates on the ins and outs of running for public office. The training is intended to give candidates a valuable head start in their political journeys, as well as information on how to run successful campaigns. NAR still has funding to provide instructors for 12 more association course offerings, so contact us and schedule your program soon (a $5000 value). Click here for additional information. |
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What’s New on Spaces to Places
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| Webinar on NAR Issues Mobilization Program Improvements – Presentation Recording And Powerpoint Slides A number of improvements to the NAR Issues Mobilization Program were approved in late 2014 and became effective in January 2015. A Webinar presentation on these Program improvements was conducted on March 27 by Program Manager Joe Maheady. A recording of the presentation and the PowerPoint slides are provided at the following links: |
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| 2015 President’s Circle Update President’s Circle launched its second round of targets for 2015 last month, with an emailed link to President’s Circle members. During this round, President’s Circle members may invest $500 or up to the full $2,000 in one of the four REALTOR Champions targets. |
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| Tens of Thousands of REALTORS® Have Already Joined – Have Your Members? REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts is the latest way for REALTORS® to stay informed via a text message when a Call for Action is launched. In a matter of minutes, they can take action by simply following a link we send to their mobile device. Encourage them to subscribe by texting ‘REALTOR’ to 30644. |
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| REALTOR® Policy – Drones and NFIP | ||||||||||||||
| REALTOR® Usage of Drones Still “Up in the Air” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed new drone rules that will simplify licensing and eliminate some confusion about using drones for commercial purposes. The final FAA rules are not expected to be finalized until later this year. State governments are primarily weighing in on how drone images may be used by police or the paparazzi. Since 2013, fifteen states have enacted laws related to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and privacy. Read more here. |
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| National Flood Insurance Program Is raising rates an average of 10% on April 1. There is also a new surcharge to pay for the recent legislative reforms. Read NAR’s summary of these and other changes. Please remind members to consult an insurance agent for specific properties. Click here for more information. |
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From NAR’s Economist Outlook Blog: |
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| David Stark Public Affairs Director, Bay East Association of REALTORS® |
What does Fair Housing mean to the GAD Nation?
Each April the REALTOR® community celebrates the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. While the focus is on REALTOR® commitment to the fair and equitable treatment of all seeking housing choices it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the diversity of our members and how that translates into political power.
The sheer number of REALTORS® and their capacity to mobilize around candidates and issues is real political power. But the diversity of our membership is a force multiplier. The 1.1 Million REALTORS® reflect the general population and represent an important cross section of our society. GADs can and should leverage that diversity.
When working with elected officials or staff I frequently allude to the connection between REALTORS® and the communities they serve. REALTOR® awareness and expertise in community issues adds legitimacy to their perspective on public policy issues. Add to that the full demographic spectrum reflected in the REALTOR® membership and you have an articulate voice and a voice with the ability to speak in many languages on a variety of important private property rights issues.
GADs rely on the effort and treasure our members invest. This month and every month let’s recognize and leverage all aspects of our diverse membership to make our government affairs programs even more effective.
| 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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New AE & GAD Orientation - Spring April 13th & 14th, 2015 Washington, DC * This session is FULL, look for info soon on fall session dates |
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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 in early May. |
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REALTORS® Conference and Expo November 13, - 16, 2015 San Diego, California |