Charlotte REALTORS® Meet with Legislators in Raleigh
Charlotte-area Realtors® on the Senate Floor with Jeff Tarte on NCAR Legislative Day
More than 50 Realtors® from Mecklenburg and Iredell County traveled to Raleigh last week to meet with House and Senate members at the North Carolina General Assembly about issues and legislation critical to the real estate industry.
Representative Rob Bryan talks with Realtors® visiting the General Assembly in Raleigh
Realtors met on the floor of the State Senate with Senator Jeff Tarte (R-Cornelius), then on the House floor with Rep. Charles Jeter (R-Huntersville).
Throughout the morning, we also met with Representatives Rodney Moore (D-Charlotte) and Rob Bryan (R-Charlotte), as well as with Senators Jeff Jackson (D-Charlotte) and Joel Ford (D-Charlotte). Before heading home, the group met with Representative John Bradford, a Realtor® from Cornelius, during a lunch briefing at the NC Museum of History.
Some of the bills we discussed included:
Property Insurance Reform: A total of five bills have been filed between the two chambers to reform the process by which property insurance rates are calculated and approved in North Carolina. But with one week left to go, just one has officially ‘crossed over.’ HB 151, ‘Property Insurance Rate-Making Reform’, would reform the way insurers calculate homeowner rates and require the use of in-state, historical data in modeling software. It passed the House unanimously in late March, and is awaiting action in the Senate.Aesthetic Design Restrictions: For the fourth consecutive year, the General Assembly is considering legislation to clarify that local governments lack the authority to dictate how single-family homes, townhomes and duplexes should be designed. This year, SB 25, ‘Zoning/Design & Aesthetic Controls,’ has the honor of being the first taken up. After being favorably reported out of the Senate Commerce committee last week, it’s on the Senate calendar for a vote tonight.
Realtors® meet with Senators Jeff Jackson and Joel Ford in Raleigh.
Rental Registration: HB 530, ‘Local Gvmts/Inspect Bldgs & Structures’, would establish limitations on local Rental Registration and Building Inspection programs to allow inclusion of only the worst 5% of all properties with crime or disorder activities. It would prohibit the universal registration of rental properties currently required in Charlotte’s ordinance. The bill was favorably reported out of the House Local Government Committee last week and is awaiting action in the Reg Reform committee.Historic Preservation Tax Credit: Despite heavy lobbying by Governor McCrory and Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz to restore a tax credit for the redevelopment or renovation of historic properties, HB 152, ‘New Historic Preservation Tax Credit,’ has been declared dead by Senate leaders, after passing the House by a wide margin in late March. But no word yet from Miracle Max as to whether that means the bill is actually all dead, or just … mostly dead.Permitting Reform: A bill to reform state building code regulations, HB 255 would clarify what constitutes official misconduct for code officials, create a separate residential code committee within Building Code Council, require complete and timely inspections, and mandate the online posting of code interpretations by the NC Department of Insurance. It passed the House in a near-unanimous vote in mid-April, and is awaiting Senate action.
