CAPITOL HILL
ROCKY SUNDLING | GREYSTAR REAL ESTATE
THOUGHTS
LEAP THOUGHTS is a new series of commentaries written
by AAMD Leadership on Teamwork and Team Excellence
Politics Aren’t Always Local
H
ad a great week in D.C. with the NAA
Capital Conference and Lobby Day on
Capitol Hill. Lobby Day was particu-
larly productive this year. With in-office meetings
with one Senator and four House of Representa-
tives and/or their Legislative Staffs, we educated
them on the NAA core initiatives for this year
– tax reform, flood insurance and ADA “drive-by”
lawsuits. It was an honor to serve as a foot soldier
with this army of dedicated, professional volun-
teers in the battle to promote and protect our
industry.
The education of members of Congress
(MOC) was most effective when demonstrating
how these issues were impacting constituents in
the members’ district and state. For example, our
right to cure solution for the ADA lawsuits was
easily understood when we showed the very recent
publicity of the proliferation of ADA suits in
Colorado. We showed the MOC and staff rela-
tively unbiased news accounts of one individual
filing 64 separate ADA access lawsuits, and an-
other filing 42. The news story poked several holes
in the lawsuits even before they got to court –
showing several businesses were closed at the time
of the visit by the plaintiffs, etc. The MOC and
staffs understood that even if these multiple suits
had merit, a right to cure option would be much
more productive – and more in tune with the
spirit of the ADA legislation – than a quick mon-
etary settlement.
Our visits were exceptionally well timed for
the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
reauthorization. We demonstrated that private
flood insurance markets are virtually non-existent
or un-proportionately expensive. While we would
love to have a private market alternative, we
showed how vital the federal program is to pro-
tecting so many of our assets if and until a private
alternative is available. The day after our visits,
the House Financial Services Committee’s Hous-
ing and Insurance subcommittee met and took
the first steps to reforming and reauthorizing the
program. NAA talks, Congress listens!
We tailored our comments on tax reform to
education and rapid response advocacy. We ex-
www.aamdhq.org
Terry Simone, Matt Pacheco, Mike Coffman, Luke Miller, Nancy Burke, Rocky Sundling
pressed our industry’s concerns on the issues of
interest deductibility, cost recovery, rate reductions,
like-kind exchanges, carried interest, etc.
But our most fervent lobbying was to put
NAA and our volunteers at the top of the tax
reform “rolodex.” We let the MOC and staff know
that we appreciated the “sausage making” aspects
of legislation as complicated as tax reform – and
the difficulty in balancing the MOC’s constituents’
many sacred cows.
We demonstrated we could be an invaluable
– and a real time – resource to the MOC in
evaluating the impact of any mark ups and amend-
ments to the tax reform legislation. And perhaps
even more importantly, a resource in assisting the
MOC in understanding how the transition rules
of any bills will impact our industry and others
like it.
It was another great experience to lobby on
behalf of NAA and our industry. I know there
are some out there who feel all politics are local
and therefore believe lobbying on the local and
state level is more important and immediate than
working the feds. I understand the sentiment. I
would amend that old truism from All Politics
Are Local to All Politics Are Local – Until the
Feds Say They Aren’t. Local, state and federal
lobbying and advocacy are all vital to promoting
and protecting our industry.
Industry killing legislation and regulations
can come from any level of government or quasi-
government agency. Legislation by anecdote is
rampant in this time of housing affordability
concerns. Please join us at NAA AND your local
affiliates to be a positive voice in advocating for
our industry.
APRIL 2017 • TRENDS | 41