Written By: Shawn Johnson, RMP
No matter how you slice it, governmental policies affect our everyday decisions in how we operate our lives and businesses. Sure, we could put our heads in the sand and act like nothing will happen, OR we can stand together and better our industry as a whole. On any given day, there are more and more laws and regulations that are governing how we must operate. As NARPM continues to grow, so does our need to come together and be a voice for our industry.
As a committee, we have big plans on how to further the mission and to protect our industry. For instance, take the DOTH (Day on the Hill), coming up May 13-14, 2019. Each year, this event has grown and become more impactful. In our meetings scheduled with key lawmakers and staffers, we are able to express our views on how the policies developed in Washington, DC, affect us. We also get the opportunity to ask questions and send surveys to lawmakers to understand their position in backing our industry. With this information, we can make better-informed decisions and recommendations about how we as a group should financially support those lawmakers. See page 33 in this month’s issue of Residential Resource for NARPM Position Papers on several laws.
This year, it is our goal to have the largest DOTH event to date. This includes more participants, more meetings with lawmakers and their staffs, and a much better overall impact in Washington. The DOTH has become a vital part of what the Governmental Affairs Committee does and how we further our mission. We also plan on having the highest financial participation in NARPM PAC (Political Action Committee). The sole purpose of a PAC is to raise and spend money to support candidates who support NARPM. Without the financial support, it’s difficult to make sure our voice is heard in what is a very noisy political process.
It is also our goal to have higher involvement at the chapter level. We know that having support at the state and local level is incredibly vital, especially when it comes to preserving our industry as a whole. What better way is there than being on the frontlines? In doing this, we want to also give ideas to our chapter leaders on how to build their Governmental Affairs participation and funding efforts. We believe that each chapter should have at least one local Governmental Affairs representative who can be the key contact when bills are introduced and when ideas are presented, and can be a resource with whom lawmakers can liaison.
Relatively speaking, property management is a young industry. The challenges we face as we continue to grow in our mission are getting more participation in the Governmental Affairs Committee, more attendees at the DOTH, more investments in NARPM PAC, and cultivating new leadership within the committee. We may be young, but we are strong in numbers.
So, here is my call to action. Now is the time to get involved. If you have the time and passion to discuss policies that affect our industry, please reach out and make it known. If politics aren’t your thing, we could greatly use your financial support for the NARPM PAC. Even a small monthly donation will help tremendously! Maybe a one-time event is more your cup of tea. The DOTH event (May 13 & 14) in Washington, DC will be an amazing time to meet with key lawmakers, network with fellow NARPM members, brainstorm for better ways to raise the bar in our industry, and fight for laws that make it better and not worse. To top it off, a few days in our nation’s capital is guaranteed to amaze. However you choose to get involved, I promise, that you won’t regret it.
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