June 2006 Field Report - West Michigan
REALTORS® Take on Washington
By: Kyle Olson – West Michigan Field Director
The National Association of REALTORS® recently held its annual Midyear meetings in Washington, D.C. at which many Michigan REALTORS® participated in the NAR committee meetings, receptions, and Capitol Hill visits.
The visits came on the heels of a high-profile campaign by NAR to pass S. 1955, legislation known as Small Business Health Plans, that would allow groups like NAR to pool their members to obtain lower rates for health insurance. The House of Representatives passed similar legislation (HR 5288) several months ago, and the Senate proved to be tougher sledding. After watering down the legislation considerably, the legislation passed out of committee and moved to the Senate floor.
And there it met the buzz saw. Democrats wanted to propose some of the 67 amendments they proposed in committee without success. They then filibustered the legislation, which requires 60 votes to end the filibuster and bring a vote, known as cloture.
And there it met its fate. The legislation did not get the 60 votes required and thus died because debate could not be ended. At the end of the process, REALTORS® are still not able to pool together on a national level to obtain decent coverage and tolerable rates.
The following week, REALTORS® converged on Washington for the Midyear meetings and were looking forward to meeting with Sen. Debbie Stabenow to discuss the legislation.
Fifty Michigan REALTORS® showed up at her office to hear her side of the story and why she would not support the legislation. As a staff member, I was never more proud than when I saw members of the association respectfully challenging her and wanting answers. No one got heated or raised their voices—they simply pled their case and explained why Stabenow should support the legislation.
Then came Stabenow’s response. The Senator attempted to respond to the arguments but finally fell back on “you may question my judgment…” She also strongly implied that NAR had somehow been hoodwinked by the insurance industry and the bill really wasn’t in the best interest of the association. That was hard to believe, given that NAR had been so involved in crafting and negotiating the legislation. In the end, she simply was not going to support the legislation.
It should be noted she has not used this tactic on other legislation. The high profile debate and legislation on immigration reform was in the Senate a couple weeks ago where it was filibustered and Stabenow voted for cloture, then against the bill. It is unclear why she would not take a similar stance on Small Business Health Plans.
Michigan REALTORS® performed a duty guaranteed in the Constitution—that is, petitioning their elected official to vote a certain way. It is a foundation of our society. Another foundation is voting and supporting candidates for office that support the problems and issues that affect REALTORS® the most. Obtaining affordable quality health insurance is such an issue.
To get involved and have your say, please visit NARactioncenter.com.
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Land Use Task Force
Last month, a task force met consisting of MAR members that was formed to study land development and organization throughout Michigan. Aptly titled the Land Use Task Force, members discussed a number of development concerns and local government issues that have been affecting areas of Michigan. The first meeting had a lengthy agenda that looked at specific ordinances and zoning statutes from across the state that have met support as well as opposition. Given the broad scope of land use planning, ideas, and issues, it is safe to assume that the Land Use Task Force will meet on a number of different occasions. We will keep you posted on the progress of this task force in the coming months.
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K-16 Coalition Shrinks
The K-16 Coalition, a group formed to support a constitutional amendment that would require increases in education funding to the tune of the rate of inflation or 5 percent, whichever is less, has continued to lose traction. All of the four-year universities have dropped out of the coalition, most likely because they’ve realized sticking their finger in the eye of the legislature is not the best way to receive a favorable response at budget time.
MAR is part of the coalition opposing the proposal, which includes a broad range of groups including the Chamber, townships, police officers, and several health groups. For more information, visit The MAR web site.
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REALTOR® Active in Politics Award
The Michigan Association of REALTORS® needs your help in selecting the 2006 recipient of the MAR REALTOR® Active in Politics Award! Over the next six weeks, please take some time to talk with your local association leadership about recognizing an individual who demonstrates exemplary contribution in the promotion of private property rights and the real estate industry.
Each local association can nominate one member for this award. The MAR Selection Committee will determine the winner from each of the local association nominations. Your nominee should be a member who promotes participation in politics within our membership and/or works to advance our agenda with elected officials. Please visit our web site to download the form or contact your local association leadership.
Download RAP application
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