Legislative Review


BOTTOM LINE WITH LEGISLATIVE VICTORIES!


GAR PROTECTS YOUR


Georgia REALTORS began 2013 with a renewed focus on legislative advocacy and member benefits. In January, more than 800 REALTORS from across the state stood together on the steps of state Capitol at the first Georgia REALTORS rally to advocate for the benefits of homeownership and private property rights. As the largest


® ® ®


advocacy group to visit the Capitol this session, our members spoke to their state legislators and asked them to support two issues that are critical to the business of REALTORS across Georgia. Thanks to our member engagement and the work of


®


our Governmental Affairs team, GAR successfully passed the following top legislative priorities demonstrating the strength and value of your REALTORS


® membership. GAR SUCCESSFUL IN PASSING BILL ALLOWING REALTORS® TO SAFELY ENGAGE IN SHORT SALE TRANSACTIONS


GAR achieved a major legislative victory with the passage of House Bill 83, which allows REALTORS®


to


safely engage in short sale transactions without risk of violating the law. HB 83 clears up unintended conse- quences in legislation that was passed several years ago known as the Georgia Residential Mortgage Act. The Georgia Department of Banking and Finance inter- preted this legislation to find that REALTORS®


who pro-


vide information to a lender on behalf of their client in a short sale may be unknowingly violating the law and risk being guilty of a felony. This interpretation was very dangerous for Georgia REALTORS®


and GAR worked


closely with the Banking Department to protect our members from unnecessary legal liability. HB 83 clears up red tape that will allow REALTORS®


to continue to assist homeowners in pursuing a short sale transaction. Without the passage of this bill, many REALTORS®


may have chosen to no longer engage in


short sale transactions for risk of violating the law. The passage of HB 83 protects a vital business practice for many Georgia REALTORS®


and ensures at risk home-


owners’ can receive professional representation if they seek to pursue a short sale.


24IGEORGIA REALTOR® BILL PASSES TO EXPEDITE


PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE RENEWAL Georgia REALTORS®


achieved another key victory by


assisting in the passage of Senate Bill 160, which expe- dites the process for professional licensure renewal. SB 160 eliminates a burdensome provision in current law that required all licensees to verify their citizenship status at each renewal, which dramatically increased the wait times for real estate license renewals. With the passage of SB 160, professional license holders simply have to pro- vide verification of citizenship status during their initial application for professional licensure. This bill reduces the risk of Georgia REALTORS®


failing to renew their real es-


tate licenses due to bureaucratic backlogs at the Real Estate Commission. GAR is proud to support this pro-bus - iness piece of legislation and believe our success will ben- efit the bottom line of every Georgia REALTOR®


. Additionally, GAR successfully engaged in SB 160 to


remove a provision that would require verification of citizenship status to receive a homestead exemption. This provision put all future homeowners’ at risk of not receiving a homestead exemption if the proper paper- work was not timely filed. For more information on GAR legislative advocacy, visit www.garealtor.com/Advocacy.aspx.


CHRIS JILES OF COLUMBUS, GA., IS THE 2013 CHAIRMAN, GAR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. MAY I JUNE 2013


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