Word of the Week
Major Questions Doctrine – The principle that Congress must provide clear authorization to an agency before the agency can issue regulations on matters of economic or political significance. Congress frequently delegates authority to agencies to regulate particular aspects of society, in general or broad terms. However, in a number of decisions, the Supreme Court has recently declared that if an agency seeks to decide an issue of major national significance, its action must be supported by clear congressional authorization. Courts refer to this doctrine as the major questions doctrine (or major rules doctrine).
Recording: “Know Before You Go” Webinar for RLM
On Thursday, April 25, the NAR Advocacy Team alongside the Congressional Management Foundation hosted a Know Before You Go Webinar to prepare FPCs, GADs and AEs for the 2024 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings. Joe Harris and Ryan Rusbuldt of NAR’s lobbying team walked through our messaging for Capitol Hill visits and addressed semantics around the legal settlement. Victoria Givens educated the group on how to hold successful Hill meetings and Socar Chatmon-Thomas, Chair of the FPC Advisory Committee discussed logistics during the week including the FPC 50th Anniversary Reception. In case you missed it, the recording is now available. The slides can be accessed here. Please be sure to watch it before you make your trip on May 4, 2024.
FPC E-Packet, Roundtable and FPC Lobbyist Salons
Your NAR Advocacy team looks forward to seeing all FPCs during the lobbyist salons and the FPC Roundtable on Sunday, May 5. For those that are not familiar, during these FPC Salons, your NAR Lobbyists and Political Directors will walk through the talking points, leave-behinds, and let you know what to expect during your day on the Hill. Salons are broken up by chamber and party. Everything you need to prepare for your trip can be found in your FPC E-Packet, which is now live and online. If you have any questions, please reach out to Victoria Givens.
VIDEO: NAR Presidential Town Hall
Thank you to everyone who tuned in to the Presidents’ Town Hall with President Kevin Sears. We would like to invite those who were not able to make it to view a recording here. If you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to send those our way at nargovernance@nar.realtor.
Important FPC Meetings During REALTORS® Legislative Meetings
Please mark your calendar for the following important meetings and events for Federal Political Coordinators during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings, May 4-9, 2024.
Sunday
- Federal Legislative and Political Forum: May 5, 8:30am
- FPC Lobbyist Salons: May 5, 9:30am- 10:30am
- FPC Roundtable: May 5, 1:45pm-3:45pm
- The Advocacy Scoop: May 5, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Monday
- FPC 50th Anniversary Ice Cream Social: May 6, 1:00pm-3:00pm
Tuesday
- FPC Advisory Committee Meeting: May 7, 10:00am-12:00pm
- FPC 50th Anniversary Donut Break, Booth #735: May 7, 1pm-3:00pm
- Congressional Hill Visits: May 7, 9:00am-5:00pm
- FPC 50th Anniversary Reception May 7, 6:30pm-9:30pm
- The Expo: May 6-7, 10:00am-5:00pm
Thursday
- Board of Directors: May 9, 9:00am
FPC Room Block: Washington Grand Hyatt
VIDEO: Shaping NAR’s 2024 Policy Priorities
In this interview with NAR Chief Advocacy Officer, Shannon McGahn and members of the NAR Advocacy team, you will learn how your feedback directly shapes NAR’s legislative priorities, as thousands of NAR members prepare to take these asks to Congress in May. Watch the webinar recording here.
NAR and the Mortgage Bankers Send a Letter to GSEs to Urge Support for Buyer Financing
NAR and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac seeking confirmation that sellers can continue to pay compensation to a buyer’s agent and that payment will continue to be excluded from the limits on Interested Party Contributions. This confirmation is a critical piece of the post-settlement puzzle. This letter continues NAR’s efforts to engage the GSEs and regulators to provide near-term clarity to the market and members. This effort is one of several focused on supporting mortgage finance for buyers in the post-settlement environment. Read More…
Download NAR’s Letter to the GSEs
NAR Submits Comments to Veterans Affairs on Allowable Fees
NAR submitted a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), urging the agency to revise its policies pertaining to fees veterans cannot pay when using their VA home loan benefit. Under VA policies, veterans using the home loan benefit are prohibited from compensating their professional representative directly. This puts VA buyers at a disadvantage in situations where offers of compensation are not offered from a seller, potentially forcing them to forego professional representation, choose a different loan product, or exit the market entirely.
NAR wants to ensure veterans maintain their access to the VA home loan program, which has been a significant tool in helping service members achieve the American dream of homeownership. NAR remains committed to working with the department to create solutions for those who served our country.
Download NAR’s Letter to the VA
VIDEO: Settlement Briefing with NAR President Kevin Sears
On March 22, President Kevin Sears held a webinar with Katie Johnson, NAR’s Chief Legal Officer, further discussing the settlement agreement and what it means for both the association and its members. The webinar highlights additional important content now available on facts.realtor including:
- The latest settlement FAQs
- FAQs focused on financing and interested party contributions
- Slides that cover the key terms of the settlement
- A timeline showing anticipated next steps in the process
- An overview of the scope of the release for NAR members
We encourage you to explore these resources. Please continue to bring any questions you have regarding the settlement agreement to Victoria Givens, your lobbyists or your political directors.
NAR Meets with DOL on Fair Labor Standards Act, Final Rule is Effective
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) final rule regarding how workers are classified under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) took effect on March 11, 2024. In March, NAR met with officials at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to discuss the recent rule and its impact on the real estate industry. The meeting focused on the rule’s adoption of the economic realities test, and how the test could impact how real estate professionals are classified. NAR also expressed concerns regarding the preemptive effect of the federal rule and how it may impact state worker classification laws. Read More…
ICYMI: New FPC Webinar Recording
On February 27, the NAR Advocacy team hosted an FPC Training Webinar welcoming our new FPCs and reviewing the nuts and bolts of the role. Joe Harris, NAR’s Vice President of Government Advocacy, gave an update on current issues we’re facing on Capitol Hill and what to expect with Hill visits this year during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings. It was an important webinar to review the RLM schedule for FPCs around the conference and more broadly, ways FPCs can connect with their members of Congress – both online and offline. Together with our partners at the Congressional Management Foundation, we discussed the Complete Citizen-Advocate’s Toolkit: 15 tools available to every grassroots advocate. You can watch the webinar recording here.
Congressional District and State Reports
Don’t forget that you can easily access your Congressional District and State Economic Reports when preparing for a meeting with your Member of Congress. These reports contain housing and real estate data that you can use to advocate for our policies on the Hill. They provide information about the status of homeownership, trends in the real estate market, and the economic conditions that underlie the demand for housing overall.
FPC Travel Stipend for RLM
Every year, Federal Political Coordinators are afforded a $1000 stipend to defray travel costs to the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings. Please save your hotel and airfare receipts. You will submit them to your state Government Affairs Director and be reimbursed directly by your state. If you have any questions, please reach out to Victoria Givens at vgivens@nar.realtor.
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