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MAR Public Policy Update: Things are getting busy in Lansing. Top industry concerns such as the 2% tax on services plan, as well as the “Pop Up Tax” issue, have taken center stage in the Michigan legislature. Here is a brief update on the latest developments. As you are well aware, the MAR launched two separate Call to Action campaigns, urging legislators to oppose Governor Granholm’s 2% tax on services. Between both the House and Senate Call to Action campaigns, we received an overwhelming response: over 10,000 letters were sent off to members of the Legislature. As effective as the CTA was, the REALTOR® community needs to continue to apply pressure both internally as well as externally. The MAR has joined forces with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce to launch a TV ad campaign that will be targeted to selected House and Senate Districts. It is designed to get the public involved in the effort to defeat the Governors proposal. The theme of the ad campaign is “Give Governor Granholm Your 2 cents”. The Governor’s plan calls for a 2% “excise” tax on hundreds of personal and business services such as home sales and home repairs, tax preparation, movie tickets and TV services, janitorial services, insurance and employment services, and more. The 30-second TV spot is aimed at educating and informing the public about the proposal. Given the MAR Board of Directors unanimous decision to use whatever resources necessary to defeat the sales tax, this is one effort we are utilizing at this time. In other legislative news, Representative Andy Meisner introduced legislation for Speaker Dillon’s proposed 18 month moratorium on tax uncapping upon transfer, otherwise known as the “Pop-up Tax.” House Bills 4440 and 4441, introduced last week in the Michigan House, represent a vision for boosting Michigan’s economy and its housing market. The House Democrats held a press conference earlier this week to roll out their plan. House Bill 4440 passed out of the House Commerce Committee early Tuesday. House Bill 4441 is expected to be taken up later this week in House Tax Policy committee. As you know, the MAR remains concerned about the cliff at the end of the 18 months, and we are working closely with legislative leadership in both the House and the Senate on the community ratio plan to ease the prospective drop off in activity. Currently, the Senate Republican Majority supports the idea of a moratorium, but is working on a long term a proposal as well. We will continue to update you with any news or progress. Encourage Your Members! Input from brokers and salespersons imperative in development of new licensing exams Currently, the state of Michigan is in the process of conducting a job analysis survey in order to quantify the professional activities that are an important part of the Real Estate Salesperson and Broker occupations as they are practiced today. A major objective of this survey is to update the Michigan Real Estate Licensing Examinations to ensure that they reflect what brokers and salespersons need to know in order to serve the public in a safe and effective manner. Psychological Services, Inc. (PSI) of Burbank, California, has been contracted by the State of Michigan to develop and administer this survey. It is presented in an electronic, Web based format, and can be expected to take approximately 20 minutes to complete. The results will be used in conjunction with the Michigan Real Estate Subject Matter Expert Advisory Committee Input (which consists of real estate regulators, educators, salesperson licensees, and broker licensees) to develop the new broker and salesperson examinations. Specifically, we are asking that you notify your members of this survey and the importance of participation by:
The survey will be active on the PSI Web site from March 1 through March 26, 2007. Participants can link to it directly by going to www.psionline.com/MIRE2.htm. Questions can be submitted to PSI at JAS@psionline.com. The more participants, the more comprehensive and complete the data will be. Please help MAR in notifying members to participate and create effective outcomes for the future licensing examinations. April is Fair Housing Month - MAR embraces fair housing by recognizing the activities, courses and initiatives held across Michigan by local associations and other organizations. These initiatives inform real estate professionals and consumers about requirements, rights and responsibilities under fair housing laws. MAR has developed a special section on our web site to acknowledge these special initiatives and to increase the awareness of the range and scope of fair housing programs held across our state. To post your fair housing program or event on mirealtors.com, email details about the program to Fran Micallef at fmicallef@mirealtors.com. The enactment of the Federal Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968 came only after a long and difficult journey. Each year, in April, special events highlight the fundamental principles of fair housing and celebrate gains in minority home ownership. Sadly enough, it took the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, for Congress to finally pass the Federal Fair Housing Act. While we often talk about the law, we rarely talk about the events leading up to the passing of the legislation and the landmark anniversary celebration on April 11, 1969. HUD offers a brief historical perspective of this event that reminds us of the human element of the fair housing equation. 2008 MAR Director Elections - 8 District Seats Open It’s campaign season for MAR Directors! MAR Directors will be elected from districts 2 (Peter Hoekstra), 3 (Vern Ehlers), 5 (Dale Kildee), 7 (Timothy Walberg), 8 (Mike Rogers), 10 (Candice Miller), 12 (Sander Levin) and 13 (Carolyn Kilpatrick). The following members are currently serving in these districts: Eligible for a second term:
Term limited (having served two consecutive terms)
Candidates filed for election as of 3/9:
Anyone wishing to run for MAR Director or anyone who has questions, should contact Brian Westrin at the MAR office, 517-372-8890, ext. 558. Plan Now For 2008 Professional Standards Sessions Over 750 members attended one of five regional Professional Standards sessions held recently. Local associations with the highest level of participation in the 2007 program were:
Congratulations to all who helped to make this program a success! The 2008 professional standards workshops will be held the week of February 4-8. Specific dates and locations will be announced in the fall, including a special distance learning telecast program. NAR/MAR Begin RPAC System Development The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) announces the development of new RPAC software. When completed, it is anticipated this integrated system will link local, state and national contributions into an electronic contributions database. Currently, local associations send RPAC contributions and member contribution data to MAR where the information is manually entered into the MAR database and a portion of the contribution sent to NAR. Local associations are unable to access member contribution and solicitation reports. In addition, the state association relies on NAR reporting for the confirmation of RPAC Awards to members. Michigan was selected as a beta test site after Bill Martin, MAR CEO, served on the NAR RPAC and Public Advocacy Presidential Advisory Group last year. “We look forward to a system that provides greater access to information for our locals and allows MAR to save critical member dues dollars by allowing us to post the 15,000 plus RPAC transactions electronically,” comments Martin.
MAR Calendar of Events
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720 North Washington Avenue • P.O. Box 40725 • Lansing,
Michigan 48901-7925 Copyright © 2005 Michigan Association of REALTORS® |
