US Senator Jerry Moran gathers with Kansas REALTORS® to talk about growing our state economy.
“Listening to the likes of HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Director of FEMA’s Flood Insurance program, Roy Wright, several top economists and numerous experts from NAR on different topics, I had no idea how much I didn’t know about what’s going on in the background even though I’ve been in the business for 35 years.
It was so obvious that NAR has our backs, hires the brightest minds in the business, has clout on Capitol Hill and is worth every penny we pay them. I truly felt like I was learning from the best and the brightest all week! The major issues discussed were; tax reform, flood insurance program, and protecting sustainable homeownership.
The Capitol Hill visits were the highlights of the week. The first day of our visits we met with Senators Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran. Senator Roberts listened to our talking points. He was supportive of our position on every issue, and was appreciative when we shared details that were important to us. As an example, we don’t just want the federal flood insurance program 
extended at the September 30th deadline, we need it extended well before then as 40,000 home sales per month are dependent on the program. We also know the current tax reform proposal eliminates the real estate deduction and increases the standard deduction to the point of making the mortgage interest worthless in many cases.
The next day, we met with Congressman Kevin Yoder to discuss the same talking points. He was very attentive and supportive, and in tune with the issues we support. He was appreciative of the additional details we needed to convey, including an important discussion of the importance of retaining the 1031 Like Kind Exchange program. They were all very appreciative of seeing a group of Kansans while in DC.
Overall, the week couldn’t have gone any better. I look forward to attending more midyear legislative meetings in the future!”
– Brent Sledd, Overland Park, Kansas
Long time REALTOR®, first time Mid-Year attendee
