ASAE Open Letter to Congress re Restrictions on Government Employees Attending Meetings and Conferences

NAR has signed on to a letter being circulated by the ASAE and asks you to consider signing on as well. Over 800 other groups have already signed on including some state and local REALTOR® associations. The letter urges Congress to consider revisions to amendments passed by the House and Senate in two separate bills April 25 that place severe restrictions on government employees attending meetings and conferences. These amendments were included in bills passed by the House and Senate in the last two weeks of April.

The ASAE letter indicates support for the intent of creating greater transparency and accountability in government spending. However, while designed to limit spending on government-sponsored conferences and travel expenses for federal employees, the actual language would have a chilling effect on government employees’ participation in non-governmental meetings and conferences such as those that REALTOR® organizations hold at the federal, state and local levels. A reasonable reading of one section of the amendment is that, for example, if employees from FHA attend a meeting sponsored NAR, no other FHA employee can attend any other NAR event until the next fiscal year. Obviously, the dialogue that takes place between federal agency staff at various NAR sponsored events essential to the development of informed policymaking that facilitates real estate markets.

The ASAE email below includes links to the text of the letter and instructions for how to sign on to the letter electronically. The email also provides more details on the amendments and the issues involved. The deadline for signing on to the letter is May 4.

From: Jim Clarke, ASAE Public Policy
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 10:40 AM
To: Marcia Salkin
Subject: Update on Government Travel Restrictions

ASAE

Thanks to those of you who have already signed on to ASAE’s open letter to Congress this week. The letter urges Congress to revise legislative language attached to separate bills in both chambers last week that severely restricts government employees from attending meetings and conferences held by associations, nonprofits and other private sector organizations. (Read the amendment language here)

The response from our community has been outstanding. More than 800 organizations have signed on to ASAE’s letter to date. ASAE is collecting signatures through this Friday, May 4 before delivering the letter to Congress. If you have not done so already, please take action and add your voice to the hundreds of associations, nonprofits and for-profit corporations who want to preserve the valuable interchange between government and the private sector at meetings and conferences. If not revised, the provisions passed separately by the House and Senate last week could greatly impact attendance at many meetings and conferences and further erode the important dialogue between federal agencies and the private sector.

You can help ASAE’s efforts on this issue in three ways:

— Take a look at ASAE’s open letter with signatures received as of 8AM this morning. If you have already signed on in support, review your organization’s name and send any changes to Robert Hay at rhay@asaenet.org. If you have not already signed, use the web form or complete this document to add your voice to this effort.

— Share this email with your colleagues, members, business partners or other contacts. These provisions would impact all organizations that hold meetings and conferences and invite government employees, either as speakers or just attendees. There are no types of conferences exempted from these proposed restrictions.

— During this week’s recess, contact your members of Congress in the district and share with them your concern on this issue. Here is a one-pager that outlines the concerns with these provisions.

Thank you again for your strong support on this issue. If you have any questions about these provisions or ASAE’s related advocacy efforts, please contact us at 202-626-2703 or publicpolicy@asaenet.org.

SIGN ON VIA WEB SIGN-ON FORM OR BY COMPLETING THIS DOCUMENT

SOURCE: Jim Clarke, Public Policy American Society of Association Executives
1575 I St. N.W., Washington, DC 20005-1103
Phone: (202) 626-2703; Fax: (202) 371-1673; Email: phpgrassroots@asaenet.org