| THE GADFLY | |||||||||||
| October 2014 |
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| 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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| Mark Your Calendars | |||||||||||
 Midterm Elections Live WebcastJoin us for a live webcast on the upcoming national elections. The webcast will be held on Oct. 10 at 2pm, Eastern Time. NAR President Steve Brown, Chief Lobbyist Jerry Giovaniello, and NAR Government Affairs staff will look at select REALTOR®-backed races and the potential impact of the elections on real estate. Register today. |
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| Streets as Places Webinar Streets make up more than 80 percent of the public space in our downtowns. But, streets need to do more than just move cars. Streets need to be designed to meet the needs of people and create great places where people meet, sit, socialize, relax, play and more. Find out how to transform the streets in your community into great places with street painting, parklets, plazas, block parties, seating, and other activities. Register for 10/14 webinar. http://www.realtoractioncenter.com/for-associations/smartgrowth/placemaking/webinars.html |
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| RPAC Recognition To receive state and/or individual recognition prior to the 2014 NAR Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans, LA, all investments must be received by NAR no later than Friday, October 17. To view your state’s roster of major investors, please click HERE. |
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| 2014–2015 GAD Advisory Group Named | |||||||||||
| The Chair and Vice Chair have completed appointments for this year’s GAD Advisory Group, which advises NAR staff on GAD issues and professional development opportunities, including the GAD Institute. Thank you to all who volunteered their time and energy. Chair: David Stark – Bay East Association of REALTORS®, CA Vice Chair: Jenny Reese – Nevada Association of REALTORS® Immediate Past Chair: Nathan Gorton – Washington REALTORS® 2015 GAD Institute Utah Host Liaison: Justin Allen – Utah Association of REALTORS® State GADs: Brandon Alderete – Texas Association of REALTORS® Jacklyn Dearien – Colorado Association of REALTORS® Neil Malone – Illinois Association of REALTORS® Heidi Schlicher – Virginia Association of REALTORS® Doug Tomson – New Jersey Association of REALTORS® Brad Ward – Michigan Association of REALTORS® Local GADs: Emily Chenevert – Austin Board of REALTORS®, TX Bruce King – REALTOR® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin, WI Matthew Leger – REALTOR® Association of the Palm Beaches, FL Jim Nadeau – Carrera Nevada Association of REALTORS®, NV Julia Parenteau – Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS®, MN Mark Quarry – Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS®, OH |
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| REALTORS® Conference & Expo | |||||||||||
| Looking for courses to offer your members? GADs and other association staff are invited to stop by the Expanding Housing Opportunities (EHO) and Employer-Assisted Housing (EAH) classes to learn more about these courses. Come see why other associations have added EHO & EAH to their educational offerings. 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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| Thursday, November 6, 9:00 AM -1:00 PM Interested in taking the full EHO class? Register Now |
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| Thursday, November 6, 9:00 AM -1:00 PM Interested in taking the full EAH class? Register Now |
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| RPAC Fundraising Forum “Carnival Celebration” Friday, November 7th, 2:30 pm - 4:30pm at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside (Room TBD) Come out and have fun while you learn how to spruce up your fundraising events. With a live and silent auction, games, and prizes, there is no better place to be. If you have an amazing fundraising activity or would like to donate an item to the auction, please complete the attached information sheet and submit it to Lauren Facemire with RPAC as soon as possible. Thank you for your participation and we hope to see you having fun in November! |
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| RPAC Awards Ceremony Friday, November 7th, 5:00pm – 6:30pm at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside (Room TBD) Did you know we recognize states, locals and commercial overlay boards that meet their RPAC fundraising goals? You do now, so grab your members and colleagues and join us in New Orleans at the RPAC Awards Ceremony. To view your state’s current fundraising results, please click HERE. |
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| See a Better Block in Action Friday, November 7th, 5:00pm – 9:00pm You may have heard of Better Block through NAR’s Placemaking Initiative but aren’t quite sure whether it would work in your town. Well, now’s your chance to see for yourself what it’s all about. A Better Block event, sponsored by the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS®, will be happening in New Orleans. Check out how the temporary pop-ups, bike lanes, play area, food vendors, live music and more will help to jump start the revitalization of historic neighborhood. |
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| Better Block New Orleans Event – Before you head out to the GAD Reception, come by the Better Block event (mentioned above). Enhance your knowledge on this Core Standard-qualifying Placemaking activity. A shuttle service will be provided to and from the convention center AND directly to the GAD Reception following your visit to Better Block New Orleans. | |||||||||||
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| GAD Reception Friday, November 7th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm The Columns Hotel – Join us at this upper garden district, national registry hotel along the St. Charles Avenue trolley line for drinks, hor dourves and live music. Come see why The Columns is on Esquire’s Guide to the 100 Best Bars in America. Transportation will be provided to this event from the New Orleans Better Block Event. Trolley, taxi, and Uber transportation is also accessible to/from this location to convention center hotels and the French Quarter. 3811 St. Charles Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 T: 504.899.9308 |
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| GAD Advisory Group Meeting (closed meeting) Saturday, November 8th, 8:00am – 9:30am at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Third Floor, Room TBD |
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| Making the REALTOR® Party Work for You: A Hands On Workshop Saturday, November 8th, 8:30am – 10:00am at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, Second Floor Riverside, Room TBD |
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| Government Affairs Directors’ Meeting Saturday, November 8th, 10:00am – 11:00am at the Marriott New Orleans Convention Center, Second Floor, Room TBD |
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| State and Local Government Affairs Directors’ Breakouts Saturday, November 8th, 11:00am – Noon at the Marriott New Orleans Convention Center, Second Floor, Rooms TBD |
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| Government Affairs Directors’ REALTOR® Party Training Saturday, November 8th, Noon – 1:30 at the Marriott New Orleans Convention Center, Second Floor, Room TBD. This training session will take place immediately following the GAD Meeting on Saturday and is designed specifically to apprise Government Affairs Directors of the results from the recent RPAC PAG and the new fundraising developments and trends necessary for the Issues Mobilization Program. Increase your knowledge and effectiveness in your role as the REALTORS® shift their focus to advocacy. |
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| Federal Legislative & Political Forum Saturday, November 8th, 1:30pm – 3:00pm, Morial Convention Center (Room TBD) 2014 Election Results: What Does it Mean for Real Estate? Learn what the results of the 2014 mid-term elections mean for REALTOR® public policy and understand its impact on your business. Discover what Congress might be planning for the upcoming Lame Duck session. Covering politics for almost 30 years, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, the co-authors of Double Down: Game Change 2012, will discuss these topics as well as provide insights into the 2016 Presidential election. |
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| New RESPA Sheriff in Town - CFPB Enforcement and Changes to the Closing Process Sunday, November 9th, 11:00am – 12:30pm at the Morial Convention Center (Room TBD) Please join renowned RESPA attorney Phil Schulman to hear about expansive new RESPA enforcement and the changes to RESPA/TILA Disclosures and the closing documents and process. |
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| Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to be Discussed at Convention Sunday, November 9th, 1:30pm - 2:30pm at the Morial Convention Center (Room TBD) Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - also known as drones - with the ability to take pictures and video are increasingly popular and affordable. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits the use of these machines for any commercial purpose, including marketing real estate, REALTORS® are becoming increasingly interested in this technological innovation. This panel session will provide information about the regulatory, legal and technological issues related to UAVs. For additional info, please go to our UAV webpage on realtor.org: http://www.realtor.org/topics/unmanned-aerial-vehicles-drones. |
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| REALTOR® Party Tools, Services and Updates | |||||||||||
| NAR Leadership Team Recommendations On RPAC Fundraising Goal Policies The Citizens United Supreme Court Ruling in 2010 changed the face of campaign finance and political fundraising. The NAR Leadership Team outlines game-changing recommendations on RPAC Fundraising Goal Policies to keep the REALTOR® voice strong in this new, competitive arena. Click here for more information on the recommendations that will go before the NAR Executive Committee and Board of Directors at November’s Annual Meeting. |
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| Rural Housing Eligibility Concerns Some state REALTOR® associations have expressed concerns about communities falling out of eligibility for rural housing loans based solely on “rural in character” determinations. Rural housing directors in each state have the discretion to decide whether a community is “rural in character.” Due to concerns by REALTOR® members about the subjective nature of these determinations, USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack issued a letter suspending work on determinations and any designations that would make a place ineligible based solely on “rural in character” criteria. Communities that were slated for ineligibility due to “rural in character” criteria will be reinstated as eligible through September 30, 2015; however, if your community now falls above the population threshold or has become part of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), it may still be deemed ineligible by your state. |
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From NAR’s Economist Outlook Blog: |
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Message from the GAD Chair
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| David Stark Public Affairs Director, Bay East Association of REALTORS® |
Work related travel.
After almost a decade as a GAD I still have mixed emotions about work travel: it’s a bummer being away my wife Anne, our home and the cool things we do together. On the positive side, work travel has introduced me to dozens of inspiring colleagues and consistently challenges how I approach government affairs work.
Most GADs are “lone wolves” and few have opportunities to share their struggles and victories in person with other GADs. I now look forward to our state and NAR meetings for the opportunities to reconnect, share war stories and reflect on what I’m doing back home and what I can be doing better.
Another benefit is experiencing new (to me) cities. New Orleans is a perfect example. I love NOLA’s music but never imagined visiting the Crescent City. That changed with the NAR Convention in November 2006. I’ll never forget how the NOLA residents appreciated NAR’s commitment to hold their convention in New Orleans a little more than a year after Hurricane Katrina. The food is pretty good, too.
I hate packing, rushing for connecting flights and being away from home. But I love experiencing the GAD Nation in person. See you in the Big Easy!
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GAD Directory |
SAVE THE DATE
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REALTORS® Conference and Expo November 7-10 in New Orleans, LA More information |
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2015 GAD Institute |