Key NMHC members and officers nearly cancelled their visit to Capitol Hill because of the snow storm in Washington, D.C., this week, but they braved the white stuff and bitter temperatures to be there for a series of important meetings with key policymakers on both sides of the aisle and both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
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| NMHC members Tom Moran, Ken Valach, Sue Ansel and Alan Pollack Meet with Senator Mark Warner. |
Robert DeWitt, Sue Ansel, David Schwartz, Ken Valach, Jim Schloemer, Alan Pollack and Tom Moran met with HUD Secretary Ben Carson, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), among many others to discuss the importance of tax reform.
Robert DeWitt, Sue Ansel, David Schwartz, Ken Valach, Jim Schloemer, Alan Pollack and Tom Moran met with HUD Secretary Ben Carson, House Majority Leader
For the first time in 30 years, comprehensive reform of the tax code is a real possibility. An overhaul of the tax code is hugely significant to the multifamily industry, presenting opportunities as well as serious risks.
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| NMHC Members Tom Moran, Alan Pollack, Jim Schloemer and Sue Ansel meet with Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. |
To that end, NMHC is aggressively working with lawmakers to emphasize the importance of the apartment industry to the economy and highlighting key parts of the tax code that are critical to our business. One of the top points that NMHC members stressed to lawmakers was that the industry being able to analyze the final package and to take part in the drafting of transition rules.
This week’s meetings weren’t limited to lawmakers, however. NMHC Doug Bibby, Chairman Bob DeWitt and Treasurer David Schwarz took part in a full-court press to get our message out to policymakers and the broader public. Leading up to the meetings, Doug authored an op-ed in the Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill, outlining the industry’s key priorities when it comes to tax reform. DeWitt and Schwarz further spread the message with interviews with CNBC.
The tax reform process won’t be quick or easy. As the debate continues, NMHC will remain at the forefront of the conversation and continue to make the case for reform that protects the multifamily industry while encouraging growth and job creation.