Hello REALTORS®,
The November election doesn’t end important dates on the government calendar—there have been several important dates over the last few weeks. You could put them on your calendar, but your Realtor Government Affairs team monitors them for you. These are some of the more important dates:
- December 3-4: The SC House and Senate met to swear in new legislators, elect leadership, and prepare for the 2025 legislative session.
- December 17: The Electoral College met to vote for President of the United States (their votes were determined by the results of the General Election)
- January: Throughout January, most county (and some city) elected officials are sworn in to their new offices
- January 3 (12 noon): 119th Congress was Sworn In
- January 6: Congress met to certify the results of the Electoral College
- January 14 (12 noon): The SC General Assembly convenes the 2025 legislative session
- January 20 (12 noon): The President is sworn in
Federal Government Funding Deadline?
This seems to be the routine: just before Christmas Congress faced another federal government shutdown. There was the usually drama, but ultimately everyone reached an agreement to fund the government through March 14. The federal budget year runs from October 1 to September 30, and the approved agreement actually extends the 2023 federal budget.
One of the issues caused by this budget uncertainty is flood insurance. However, the budget extension covers the National Flood Insurance Program. In addition, NAR reports that they have had productive meetings with FEMA about a long-term overhaul of flood insurance.
The Local Government Calendar
The government calendar slowed down in December, as you would expect. And even though meetings are still on the calendar, many controversial issues have been pulled from the agendas. Two examples we are watching:
- Anderson County Council dropped consideration of an ordinance requiring a 100-foot undisturbed “area” (buffer) around new residential subdivisions. Your Realtors Association has been asked to help with a new ordinance addressing stormwater concerns. We helped the county with another stormwater ordinance in 2023.
- The Anderson County Planning Commission was expected to receive a legal briefing on the settlement of an appeal of a subdivision application. That item was removed from their agenda. Subdivision approvals have become very contentious throughout the Upstate in recent years. More than a dozen have been appealed in Anderson County since 2019.
How relationships help our government affairs program
In my last report, I discussed how your REALTORS® Association government affairs program works to help Realtor professionals. I wrote about collaboration—particularly between the three levels of your association: local, state, and national.
It takes a team to be effective, and Realtors have one of the best government affairs teams in the country. But it’s more than just the team, it’s the larger team of relationships we have.
I work every day to build relationships with government officials. So do many of your fellow Realtors, and they lend those relationships to the entire Realtor community through their own support of our government affairs efforts. But the more relationships we have, the more successful we’ll be, and our team is not that large. That’s where you come in. We need you too. Let me give you an example of how new relationships can help.
Just two weeks ago, a small group of Realtors, who had not been involved with us before, set up a meeting with local government officials about a problem they are having with their local government—and they looped me in. There will be follow-up meetings after the new year, and we are already drafting an ordinance to help solve their problem, which affects nearly all Realtors.
Many of you have those relationships too, and you can help the entire Realtor community by sharing them with everyone. Just reach out to me, and I’ll help you get started.
Support RPAC
And finally, there’s RPAC. Our success in government affairs relies on elected officials who are friendly and supportive of real estate. Through RPAC, we support pro-real estate candidates who understand the importance of a vibrant economy for real estate. Supporting RPAC is easy. Your association includes a voluntary contribution to RPAC on your annual dues invoice. Pay it, and you are an RPAC supporter. If you haven’t supported RPAC this year, I encourage you to do so by clicking here.
One additional way you can support RPAC is by joining our RPAC Committee. They are charged with raising money for RPAC so that we have the funds to be successful. I can’t think of a better professional to raise money for RPAC than a Realtor.
If you want to get involved in our government affairs program, please contact me by calling the association office or emailing me at Michael@WesternUpstateMLS.com.
Michael Dey, Director of Government Affairs