- SPOKANE SPECIAL -

Call to Action 

Representative Brad Benson (R-6), is Co-Chair of House Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee which gave SSB 5924 a "Do Pass" report with no amendments and sent it on to the Rules Committee. WBA and other banking lobbyists are pressuring him to hang an amendment on the bill in Floor Action THIS AFTERNOON that will strip the new Commission of its authority to approve rules concurrently with the Director of Licensing.  

Please call Brad Benson IMMEDIATELY to urge him to resist this pressure.  His office in Olympia is 360-786-7922.  Ask to be transferred to his desk on the floor in House is in session, rather than in caucus.

Follow up with an e-mail to benson_br@leg.wa.gov.

Please call friendly bank executives right now and ask them to do the same.  WBA is pulling out all stops to kill SSB 5924.  Appraisers must not allow them to succeed.  Spare no effort this afternoon and evening to do whatever you can think of.  Bruce Koppe of WBA has told Courtney Hashimoto that:

He is philosophically opposed to the regulated doing the regulation. He was not aware that SSB 5924 will only bring appraisers closer to parity with real estate brokers and salespersons, and mortgage brokers.  Not that he cared.  He objects to any group having a regulatory structure different than financial institutions, even if it does not have custodial, depository or fiduciary responsibilities.

He refuses to accept that the matter of protecting, eliminating or regulating third-party valuators is neither the purpose nor the consequence of this bill.  That is a statutory matter in RCW 18.140.020(6) which is untouched by SSB 5924.  Neither the current advisory committee nor the new commission nor the Director of Licensing can enact a rule to alter that.  RCW's are modified only by the Legislature.

Koppe has to know all of this.  He has to be an inteligent man to have the job he has as Executive Director of WBA.

Brad Benson and all other Representatives must be reminded of these facts right away by both appraisers and bankers.  DO NOT DELAY.  It is like the bad side of fairy land today.  One wonders if WBA Directors even know what Koppe is doing?  The question is whose agenda is he pushing?
Thank you everyone for what you are doing.  My phone is constantly busy today.  E-mail is the best way to contact me.  I am trying to keep my mailbox managed and clear enough.  TK is working like the heck for the appraisal profession today, so give him your support through your Representative.  Linda Roise is posting bulletins on the website at www.acow-wa.org.  Many appraisers are taking time from busy schedules.
THANK YOU ALL.

 MESSAGES ARE A MUST

Contacting your own Senators and Representatives is essential.  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.  The illustrative model e-mail address for "Your Favorite Legislator" is legislator_yo@leg.wa.gov.  Use the WEB at www.leg.wa.gov for LEGInfo, or access by FTP at ftp.leg.wa.gov or by E-mail at ftpmail@leg.wa.gov.  

APPRAISAL NEWS IN WASHINGTON STATE

See ACOW on the Web at www.acow-wa.org for government and public relations related to appraising.  Request ACOW E-mail from bf777@scn.org until a listserve is implemented.  Sending fewer faxes will help to stretch ACOW's resources.  No part of this effort is too small to matter.  

Go to http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Appraisers-WA to subscribe to newsgroup postings for appraisal business matters of interest in Washington State.  Stay abreast of who has or needs what in comparables.  See what's hot, and what's rot.

PLEASE HELP OUR PROFESSION NOW!

GET INVOLVED, ACOW NEEDS YOU!