Each year in May, the National Association of REALTORS® hosts the Midyear meetings in Washington D.C. Ted Krez, John Deininger and I attended the meetings this year. The biggest highlight and most important part of the trip are the Capitol Hill visits to our Senators and Representatives. It was a busy day, but productive. We had a few talking points that we discussed with our legislators on your behalf.
1. FHA Modernization - We thanked both houses for passing this.
2. Flood Insurance We were asking for the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program before it expires in September.
3. Homebuyer Tax Credit This included a temporary tax credit for individuals who purchased a principal residence.
4. GSE Reform This would enact legislation that preserves and strengthens the housing mission of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and to permanently increase loan limits.
5. Small Business Healthcare Making sure that access to healthcare is available to independent contractors.
As always, our legislators were willing to listen to our issues. They all wanted to hear how our real estate market was doing in comparison to national news and information.
We also attended sessions that will help us to make our Association even better then it is; and gave us an opportunity to share ideas with our counterparts from other states. I appreciate the opportunity to attend these meetings and represent a fabulous Association like ours.
Please mark your calendars for our RPAC Auction it is coming up fast. September 18, 2008 is the big day. Please look for additional information and get your checkbooks ready!
Thank you to all who attended the RASCW 2008 Cindy Strange Memorial Golf Outing on Wednesday June 4. The weather was better then last year and a good time was had by all. I appreciate your involvement and support in our events.
As always, please feel free to contact me at (608) 834-4724. Have a productive, fun month.
Paula Schmelzer
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry S. Truman