Influencing national policy.

NAA continues its involvement with many different organizations to increase the exposure and influence of its members. NAA Government Affairs staff members have been appointed to serve on several boards and committees.

Barbara Vassallo, Vice President for Government Affairs, represents NAA

Rachel Arnold, Director of Public Affairs, is a board member for the National Impact Fee Roundtable and served as 2006 Conference President.

Irica Solomon, Director of Political Outreach, is a board member for the Public Affairs Council.

In addition, Anne Shearer, State & Local Policy Manager, had speaking engagements before the National Conference of State Legislatures and Campaign for Affordable Housing.

Working With REAGS

Working with the Real Estate Advocacy Group for States (REAGS) Coalition continues to be a priority. REAGS has participated with various policymaking organizations throughout the year, sponsoring events at the Council of State Governments and National Conference of State Legislatures annual meetings. REAGS Policymaker of the Year award was bestowed upon Sen. Tim Bee (Ariz.) for his continued support of the real estate industry.

Equity Impact Fee Study

The residential equity impact fee study conducted for NAA by Virginia Tech is now available to NAA members.

The report advocates the consideration of methodological approaches that assure proportionate share impact fee assessments on multifamily residential units.

It finds that the current state of practice often falls short in achieving proportionate share impact fee assessments with the result that multifamily, or apartment, units are charged more than their impact on public facilities.

The report also includes specific ways that apartment industry leaders can become involved in the decision-making processes to ensure that impact fees are assessed fairly. The report can be found on the NAA Web site at www.naahq.org/govern_affairs or by contacting Rachel Arnold at rachel@naahq.org.

Continuing Research

Fifty-state research projects conducted during 2006 include:

* Property tax valuation and mandatory sales price disclosure;

* State late fee provisions, including reported industry practices; and

* State statutes requiring carbon monoxide detectors.