The two-day event was a great success and launched with a day of training on how to make the most of meetings with legislators. NAR and IREM representatives presented detailed overviews of today’s hottest topics in real estate – affordable housing and respecting state housing laws – to prepare participants for the next day’s conversations. The next day, IREM members conducted over 100 meetings with their members of Congress!
Highlights of the trip
IREM spoke with two members who made the trip to D.C. – Kevin Logue, CPM® and Vice President, Director of Property Management at Equity Investment Services and Chair of the IREM Advocacy Committee, and Dave Barrett, CPM®, ARM® and President, RCM Services/Clifton Management Co. and Vice Chair of the IREM Advocacy Committee. They both shared their own impressions of the 2-day event.
First and foremost, they communicated how spending time with fellow IREM members and meeting with legislators in the Capitol is always a memorable experience. For example, David had a chance to have a coffee with one of his senators, Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire. And Kevin was able to get gallery passes to see Marco Rubio, a senator from his home state of Florida, participate in legislative hearings.
What were the issues IREM brought to the Hill?
There were two important issues IREM members brought to the table:
- The Choice in Affordable Housing Act, and
- The Respect State Housing Laws Act
With the Choice in Affordable Housing Act, IREM is advocating for landlords by incentivizing participation in the Housing Choice Voucher program (i.e., Section 8 tenant-based housing assistance). The bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide incentive payments to landlords, security deposit payments, and bonuses to public housing agencies that employ landlord liaisons to help ensure renters are aware vouchers are accepted.
The Respect State Housing Laws Act corrects an error in the CARES Act that should’ve expired – the 30-day notice landlords must provide tenants before they can begin eviction proceedings. This Act would return those laws to the states, where they were before the CARES Act became effective.
Why this matters
Legislators need to know a plethora of issues but are not experts on all topics and can use expert help. IREM members are at the top of their game, and truly are the experts when it comes to real estate, and real estate management specifically. Meeting with legislators and providing your expertise helps lawmakers understand the full scope of the issues they’re legislating.
A government of the people, by the people, and for the people
While paraphrasing from the Gettysburg address, participating in the legislative process is a great reminder of the fundamental principles the American government and its institutions are based on. Government is not only for TV and social media – all Americans can reach out to legislators to share their knowledge and opinions, and they should. IREM members are making an impact by having a voice and guiding the future of real estate.
The key takeaways from the IREM members who attended Advocacy Impact Day are the meaningful connections made with our country’s lawmakers. These connections can grow and evolve, just as our members, IREM, our profession and the real estate industry do.
How do you start connecting with legislators?
To begin this journey, first, find your legislators. IREM has a tool on our website which will help you identify your federal, state, and local representative. . You should use your home address when identifying your representatives.
If you are unable to meet with them at their district office, there are other ways to engage with your representatives. Think about:
- Inviting them to your virtual IREM chapter event
- Attending one of the legislator’s town halls or other scheduled events
- To find out when a legislator is conducting a town hall or other event, you can either call their office, or, they may have a list of monthly events on their website
Educate yourself
There’s probably at least one issue you’d like to speak with your representative about. Before meeting with them, educate yourself to get comfortable with the topic and issues on the table. Learn the opposing views, IREM’s position, and if there’s been any Congressional action yet.
IREM is here to help, and maintains our organization’s public policy priorities on the IREM Advocacy page. It's a good place to start, and if you can’t find answers to all your questions there, you can always reach out to our Government Affairs team at IREMLegislation@irem.org for help and guidance. These professionals keep the pulse of our advocacy efforts and have strong ties to key legislators and to our coalition partners.
All the details
For all the details on meeting with legislators, visit IREM’s Meet with legislators page.