Our Legislative conference and lobby day is fast approaching with NAMB at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. May 5th.  We are scheduling appointments with all Representatives and Senators now. We would love to bring a large group to meet with our leaders in Washington. Let Helga James, Linda Mccoy, or myself know quickly if you plan to make this trip. Even if you can’t make the trip you can help by contacting your district representative/Senator and tell them you’re sending us to represent you and all mortgage professionals in Alabama.

I’ve been particularly interested in Trump’s executive order last fall that allows trade associations to provide group healthcare plans for members. At our last meetings in Minneapolis and in Destin  I’ve brought this up to NAMB. Many small businesses, like ours, don’t have enough employee’s participating in our group plans to get  rate reductions or the bargaining power/options we see larger competitors enjoy.  We have a very limited number of insurers in our state and premiums keep climbing. I’m convinced our National Association is potentially a large enough group that we could enjoy some substantial savings in the future for our bottom lines where health insurance cost is concerned. NAMB plus saved me money for E&O etc. There is power in numbers plus crossing state lines allows many more options. Blue Cross is the only option for many in Alabama now. This could be somewhat portable for members. I’m convinced this can be a great way for us to grow membership because it’s a benefit that could level the playing field for us small businesses competing with the larger firms. Tell me what you think. Would you consider a group plan offered through an Association for your business if it offered substantial savings…all other things being equal? I think it’s worth pursuing.

Now is the time for us to be vocal with our representatives. Two issues are described here that we’ll be addressing with Congressional leaders in a few weeks. Please view this page. https://www.namb.org/legislative_action_center.php#/  With a simple click of the mouse you can put your zip code in and tell your rep’s -direct- that you support our efforts on Consumer choice for Builder transactions and the Mortgage fairness act we’ve been pushing for a number of years- regarding 3 percent qualified Mortgage Rule. It’s very simple and quick. We can make a difference this year when we work together. Here’s another quick line to find you Rep’s number’s and contact them very easily.
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.aspx

Don’t forget about our first CE class coming up May 15th in Montgomery at Hampton Inn and Suites. Thanks to Jeremy Windham for speaking at our luncheon. He’s always informative and it’s always good to get these hours in early when you can. Your team at AMPA is working hard to create education events that will help us grow our businesses…I’m particularly proud of our President’s (Helga James) emphasis on this important tool owners can use to assist employee development.

Thank you for supporting our Association. It should be a big year for our industry.

Rod Morris
rod@mtquote.com


Rod Morris
AMPA Pres. Elect / Legislative Committee