NAR BREAKING NEWS

The effort to ensure the voice of REALTORS® is heard as the federal government turns its attention to infrastructure is a top federal public policy priority of NAR in 2019.

Other priorities include making recent tax law changes better and ensuring REALTORS® have a leading voice in efforts to reform the country’s secondary mortgage market.

The priorities were announced today at the 2019 REALTOR® Party Training Conference in Minneapolis. The priorities were developed following a process that included feedback from the NAR Public Policy Coordinating Committee and results of the 2018 NAR Member Survey.

Infrastructure
Infrastructure ranked high on the NAR Member Survey and a number of NAR committees will be reviewing issues related to it. The issue is expected to be one that Congress and the White House will take up in 2019 and it’s crucial that REALTORS® be leaders in the conversation.

Federal taxation
The Federal Taxation Committee will consider changes to improve last year’s tax reform law. On the commercial side, the Federal Taxation Committee and the Commercial Committee will seek to advance qualified opportunity zones as a path for real estate investment.

Access to credit
Alternative credit models such as rent payment history will be a focus as NAR works to improve access to credit. NAR will also educate lawmakers about the importance of protecting the availability of 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage financing. NAR President-elect Vince Malta will testify next week before Congress on the issue and NAR will be showcasing its role as the thought leader on reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a policy forum it hosts in Washington next year.

Health insurance
The Insurance Committee will work to protect and promote the U.S. Department of Labor’s rule on association health plans, which expands the use of AHPs but faces hurdles.

Flood Insurance
The Insurance Committee will continue to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to finalize comprehensive reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program and modernize flood mapping. In addition, NAR will be working with FEMA to raise public awareness of disaster preparedness.

Technology
The Federal Technology Committee will promote NAR’s innovation agenda, which includes responsible data security protections, restoration of net neutrality to help maintain an even playing field online, and advancement of remote notarization.

More on NAR’s federal policy priorities.

More on the REALTOR® Party Training Conference.