The Wisconsin REALTORS® Association launched two successful Issues Mobilization campaigns: the first convinced the legislature to eliminate a minor property tax dating back to the Great Depression; the other supported a new law that overturned an existing one that had been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court....
Ohio REALTORS® Achieve Double Legislative Victory on the Tax Front
Because an Ohio law required businesses and individuals to file taxes in every jurisdiction where they'd earned income, most Ohio REALTORS® faced a costly and time consuming administrative burden at tax time. But all that is about to change thanks to an Issues Mobilization Grant, which helped secure a streamlined…...
Indianapolis REALTORS® Spearhead Expanded Public Transportation Funding
With multiple Issues Mobilization Grants, the Mid-Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® led the charge to establish a fund to expand transit services in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Now that the effort has cleared the last of its legislative hurdles, a new income tax dedicated to building transport infrastructure will ensure greater…...
Oklahoma City REALTORS® Improve Public Schools & Prevent Urban Flight
Public schools in Oklahoma were struggling, and the resulting urban flight was already having a detrimental impact on local communities. Using an Issues Mobilization Grant, the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® led a coalition that supported the passage of a $180 million bond measure to get the region’s schools…...
Missouri REALTORS® Form Coalition to Fight Sales Tax on Services
Missouri REALTORS® are no stranger to the threat of sales tax on services. With the help of a REALTOR® Party Issues Mobilization Grant and coalition support, the 20,000-member association is ambitiously attempting to amend the state constitution to ban a sales tax on services. By appealing to the general public,…...
Massachusetts REALTORS® Energize to Fight Energy Audit
Massachusetts has been the single most energy-efficient state in the country for the past five years. But when a bill in the state legislature threatened to require an energy audit to produce an energy score for all houses being listed for sale, the 24,000-member Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® leapt to…...
AL REALTORS® Defeat Flat Tax and Increased Fees with Alabama Homes Matter Campaign
Going into its 2015 session, the Alabama legislature was facing a serious budget shortfall. Using a significant Issues Mobilization Grant, the Alabama Association of REALTORS® (AAR) was able to keep threats to organized real estate and property rights at bay, but long-term solutions were still nowhere in sight. When the…...
Kansas REALTORS® Use Issues Mobilization to Prevent Local Property Tax Increases
The REALTOR® Party’s Issues Mobilization Grant provides financial assistance to state and local REALTOR® Associations to support effective advocacy campaigns on public policy issues that affect REALTOR® interests. The Kansas Association of REALTORS® is just one example of how an association has used this program to successfully stave off local…...