On July 31, with the stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump signed S. 1182, the “National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2018”, into law before the program was set to expire at midnight.

Thank you to all the Realtors who responded to the NFIP call for action and urged your U. S. Representatives and Senators to extend the program. In a big win for REALTORS® and property owners, the NFIP will continue renewing or issuing new insurance until November 30, 2018.  Between now and then, needed reforms, such as ensuring accurate flood maps and keeping rates affordable, will be hammered out.  Stay tuned as we weather Hurricane Season.

Lawmakers Listened and Voted with Realtors

On July 25, the NFIP extension bill passed the U. S. House by a 366 to 52 roll call vote. We are proud to report that the ten U. S. Representatives representing the greater Houston area, Brian Babin, Kevin Brady, John Culberson, Al Green, Gene Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, Michael McCaul, Pete Olson, Ted Poe, and Randy Weber, listened to the Realtor voice and voted to extend the program.

The bill moved to the Senate, and, on the afternoon of July 31, Senators voted overwhelmingly, 86 to 12, to extend the program until November 30. Please thank our U. S. Representatives and Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz for their vote and support.  To see how they voted and how the bill moved through Congress, visit https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1182.

HAR Members Stepped Up to the Plate and Batted the Bill to Congress

Since NAR launched the NFIP Call for Action on June 18, more than 129,000 REALTORS® participated in the CFA urging their Member of Congress to reauthorize the program. Twenty-five states, including Texas, surpassed the 20% participation rate in the CFA.  Another nine states were over 15%. This includes 413 local associations that surpassed 20% REALTOR® participation, and 182 ended over 15%, including the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR). Special President’s Cup recognition is given to states that reach 20% participation, and Texas is among those states.

At 16.19%, HAR had the highest participation rate than any other large board in Texas. Our nearest association competitor, San Antonio, scored a 15.10% participation rate. Austin and MetroTex came in at 15.05% and 11.44%, respectively.

Having our large Brokers enrolled in NAR’s Broker Involvement Program was extremely helpful in getting the CFA message out to their agents. A big thank you to all the brokers and agents who gave this very important issue their time and attention.

To view the CFA report by state and local associations, visit: https://realtorparty.realtor/member-consumer/calls-for-action/call-for-action-reports.

Home Run All Star Celebration September 26 at Minute Maid Park

On Wednesday, September 26, from 2 – 4 p.m. at Minute Maid Park, HAR’s Governmental Affairs staff and leadership will host a celebration for our VIP Brokers who enrolled in NAR’s Broker Involvement Program (BIP). Their enrollment in the BIP helped to make a positive difference in Congress hearing the Realtor voice and their most recent action. Contact Lisa Hunter at lisa.hunter@har.com or (713) 629-1900 ext. 270 for more information.