Government Affairs Update for March 2024

Dan Douglas,
Dayton REALTORS® Government Affairs Director

We’ve had a busy start to our year. Our Legislative Committee, chaired by Mark Loges, and our DARPAC Fundraising Committee, chaired by Phil Morrical, as well as our Global Committee, chaired by Bill Lee, have been hard at work to plan and execute our advocacy strategy.

Our goal is to have conversations with local elected officials and city staff about the issues that matter most to our members. Some of those topics for this year will include: zoning updates, housing studies, private property rights, short-term rentals, and many other topics that we will be tracking throughout the year.

Bringing in speakers on a variety of topics is a big part of our advocacy efforts. These events allow members the chance to hear from local elected officials and engage in a dialogue about real estate issues. Our speaker series is called “Legislative Coffee Talk” and is generally held on the second Friday of each month (with some exceptions due to scheduling difficulties). You can sign up for each of these on your member dashboard. Our next in the series will actually earn you some continuing education credit, with Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith discussing property valuations and appeals with the Board of Revisions.

We’ve had two speakers so far with many more planned for the rest of the year. In January, Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims kicked off our series with an update on the happenings in the city of Dayton and how he draws on his experience as a teacher and a veteran when working as mayor. In February, Montgomery County Recorder Stacey Benson-Taylor gave an engaging and informative talk on Title Fraud. The county has a program available for residents to sign up to receive alerts if there is suspected fraudulent activity. To sign up for the Fraud Alert Notification System just follow this link: https://go.mcohio.org/applications/recorder/fraud/

I sat down with Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague to discuss the new Homebuyer Plus Savings Accounts. A great new savings program for those looking to buy a home within the next 5 years giving savers a tax-free account with additional interest. View the interview below:

For more information Homebuyer Plus Savings Accounts program click here: https://tos.ohio.gov/homebuyerplus/

The Legislative Committee met with candidates for commissioner in Greene and Preble county’s Republican primaries. The committee selected two candidates to support: Sarah Mays in Greene County and Rachael Vonderhaar in Preble County. The committee interviewed all candidates for these races and these two candidates proved to be knowledgeable and engaging on the issues that matter most to the real estate industry. The committee will do this process again for select races in November’s General Election.

Early voting is underway. You can vote at your county’s Board of Elections until March 18^th. Then the official voting day for the Primary is March 19^th. You can find your polling locations and sample ballots at this link: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/sample-ballot/

Finally, the DARPAC Fundraising Committee is planning several events for the year. We have a Major Investor recruitment event in April for REALTORS® who are considering investing in RPAC at a higher level. Then we will once again have an auction over the summer and the committee is working to make this year’s event more fun than ever!

If you want to learn more about being involved in our advocacy efforts, RPAC, or running for office please do not hesitate to reach out to me at DDouglas@Daytonrealtors.org

Information from the National Association of REALTORS®

NAR Resources for a Government Shutdown:

National Flood Insurance Program Deadline is March 8, 2024

As Congress continues to negotiate to avoid a government shutdown, NAR is advocating for an on-time extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). NAR has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Sheet on what an NFIP lapse could mean for real estate closings and what options are available for consumers to buy or renew a flood insurance policy before March 8, 2024.

NAR’s FAQ Sheet provides the latest NFIP status update, what a lapse means for closings, and a wide range of options for property owners/buyers to buy or renew flood insurance both before and after March 8th. The FAQ also compiles most of the federal agency guidance documents to address even the most technical NFIP lapse questions our members or their clients could have.
NAR’s Washington Report, posted last night, reminds members that unless Congress acts, the NFIP will not be able to issue new or renewal policies after March 8 and includes our NFIP Lapse FAQ sheet.
NAR’s Flood Insurance Page provides the latest news, advocacy materials (issue summary, letters, etc.), as well as numerous other resources, including NAR’s research on the possible home-sales impact and NFIP’s importance to each state, NAR legal’s guidance, as well as information on how to obtain private market flood insurance.

NAR Videos: