JANUARY 14, 2000

SECOND CHANGE ALERT - - SPECIAL BULLETIN

SB 5924 HEARING POSTPONED TWO MORE DAYS AND TO MORNING!

NOW ON

THURSDAY JAN 20 AT 10:00 AM, SENATE HEARING ROOM THREE.

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The Chair has rescheduled the hearing to next Thursday, January 20, 2000, but at 10:00 a.m. The Commerce, Trade, Housing and Financial Institutions (CTHF) Committee now meats in Senate Hearing Room Three in the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building. CTHF is chaired by Senator Margarita Prentice (D-11, Skyway (King)), with Senator Paul Shin (D21, Edmonds (Snohomish)) as the Vice Chair. Senator Prentice has set the Tuesday CTHF meeting for a Work Session devoted to appearances by Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen concerning the Legislative Economic Development Committee, and by Attorney General Christine Gregoire concerning Consumer Privacy (which relates to one of the issues addressed by SB 5924. The Thursday meeting is for Public Hearings on seven bills of which SB 5924 is the first on the agenda.  Please be there early. Appraisers can meet beforehand for breakfast or coffee in the Cafeteria in the center of the ground floor of the Capitol (officially, the Legislative Building). Visit the Bill Room on your way in to get a copy of SB 5924 and much other useful information. The Cherberg Senate Office Building is diagonally southeast across the street from the Legislative Building.

SENATE BILL 5924 is ACOW's effort for APPRAISER PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT. Please see this month's two earlier bulletins for the names of sponsors and committee members. The sponsors need to thanked, and all other Senators need to be urged to support the bill, SB 5924 proposes to amend the "Real Estate Appraiser Act, 18.140 RCW, with three objectives:

1.       Establish that the legislative intent (18,140.005) includes "that all moneys generated under this chapter shall be derived from the individuals so certified or licensed under this chapter and shall be utilized solely for the purpose of this chapter." Although this is far from a dedicated account. it at least puts forth the concept that program fees are program money.

2.      Transfers appraiser input for the operation of the program to an "appraiser commission" appointed by the Governor from the ~advisory committee" now appointed by the Director of Licensing, and increases the responsibilities of the commissioners concerning program operation. The goal here is parity. FIRREA Section 901 defines the term "institution-affiliated party" to include "any independent contractor (including any attorney, appraiser, or accountant). . . . Neither Attorneys nor accountants, nor real estate brokers and salespersons nor mortgage brokers are represented in their regulatory process by a body so powerless by statute as the real estate appraiser advisory committee. 18.140 RCW presently requires a Director only "To consider recommendations" from the REAAC, which then can be ignored. There is no system of checks and balances. The Director appoints, assists and considers. REAAC members are without recourse, If we can be jailed with others, we are entitled to equal representation.

3.      Requires DOL to issue generic certificate/license numbers to each appraiser in order to protect the privacy of an appraiser's personal information on file in the Personal Identification Code (PIC), a/k/a driver's license number system, of DOL. Every WA appraiser's PIC is displayed on the Federal Appraisal Subcommittee's nationwide roster of appraisers on its web site. Patching this with the SSN obtained elsewhere allows anyone to steal an appraiser's identity in the same manner that others have been victimized. as reported in The Seattle Times and elsewhere.

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Please call Senator Prentice as the Chair of CTHF at 360-786-7616. and e-mail her at prentice_ma@leg.wa.gov to thank her for holding this hearing and to support the bill. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU LIVE IN THE ELEVENTH DISTRICT (SE Seattle, Skyway and Renton), at are acquainted with her, Of are involved in Democratic party activities anywhere. Messages for your own Senators and Representatives (they can help also), Phone and FAX numbers, E-mail and Post Office Addressees, bill copies and any other information which you need can be found by calling the Legislative Hot Line at 1-800-562-6000. Use the WEB at www.leg.wa.gov for LEGInfo, or access by FTP at ftp.leg-wa-gov or by E-mail at ftpmaiI@Ieg.wa.gov.  Also go to bf777@scn.org until a listserve is implemented. No part of this effort is too small to matter. ACT NOW TO SUPPORT, PARTICIPATE AND DONATE. STRENGTHEN OUR PROFESSION.

GET INVOLVED, ACOW NEEDS YOU!