BULLETIN  -  MARCH 9, 2000

WRITE GOVERNOR LOCKE NOW - ONE MORE STEP MAKES SSB 5924a PART OF 18.140 RCW

The Senate concurred in House Amendment to SSB 5924a (note corrected Bill Number) on Tuesday, March 7.  Final passage came on a vote of 45 yeas, 1 nay and 3 absent.  All that is required to establish the Real Estate Appraiser Commission is Governor Gary Locke's signature.  You can make it happen by writing, e-mailing and telephoning his office to urge his support by taking this final and essential action.

The direct telephones to Governor Gary Locke's office are 360-902-4111 and 360-753-6780, and the fax number is 360-753-4110.  The Governor's e-mail address is governor.locke@governor.wa.gov or on the web at www.leg.gov/governor/.  The Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000 also will get a message to Governor Locke.  The Governor's mail address is Legislative Building, P.O. Box 40002, Olympia, WA  98504-0002.  Every appraiser needs to do this right away, and to urge other appraisers to do so.  Messages from anyone, especially consumers and other members of the public, and bank executives, are very important.  Friends and family, legislators and other people in government, business people and members of organized labor, all can help.  The broader the base of support that appraisers can demonstrate, the more likely that the Governor will sign SSB 5924a into law.  Appraisers, with a superb effort by T.K. Bentler (ACOW's Lobbyist), have worked hard on this.  Success now is within our reach.  GET ON THIS RIGHT NOW.

Letters should point out that SSB 5924a protects the public by establishing a commission with a prescribed voice in rule making, a definite geographic dispersion, and members from the three classes of appraisers, a member representing financial institutions, another to represent county assessors, and may include a public member.  The appraisal profession will be moved toward parity with the manner in which many others (such as real estate brokers and sales persons, mortgage brokers, attorneys, accountants, and funeral directors) are regulated.  Go to www.acow-wa.org to review recent Bulletins and Legislative Alerts for more information that will help you formulate your letters.

The success in bringing SSB 5924a this far is a result of the hard work by T.K. on behalf of ACOW, and by several appraisers who traveled to Olympia to testify at the series committee hearings, and by the many legislative contacts made by appraisers this session.  All are essential parts of the necessary teamwork.  The whole story is too long for this bulletin.  Come to this afternoon's meeting to hear the details.

MONTHLY MEETING TODAY, MARCH 9 AT 5:00 P.M., KING COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

This meeting is very important.  Agenda items will include (1) Appraisal Program enhancements in spite of I-695; (2) Planning for ACOW's Summer Seminar at Snoqualmie Summit; (3) Preparing for the fall election and the State Budget to be adopted by the 2001 Legislature; (4) Revisions proposed by DOL to Chapter 308-125 WAC, Real Estate Appraisers; (5) Future Legislative Goals; (6) ACOW web site enhancements; (7) ACOW Newsletter; (8) Fundraising; (9) Survey; and (10) You name it/them.  More contributions and involvement of every appraiser's time, talent and treasure will allow Washington's appraiser program to be the finest that we can imagine. MONTHLY MEETING TODAY, MARCH 9 AT 5:00 P.M., KING COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

This meeting is very important.  Agenda items will include (1) Appraisal Program enhancements in spite of I-695; (2) Planning for ACOW's Summer Seminar at Snoqualmie Summit; (3) Preparing for the fall election and the State Budget to be adopted by the 2001 Legislature; (4) Revisions proposed by DOL to Chapter 308-125 WAC, Real Estate Appraisers; (5) Future Legislative Goals; (6) ACOW web site enhancements; (7) ACOW Newsletter; (8) Fundraising; (9) Survey; and (10) You name it/them.  More contributions and involvement of every appraiser's time, talent and treasure will allow Washington's appraiser program to be the finest that we can imagine.

ACOW AND YOU

What do you believe ACOW's 2000-2002 goals should be???  Actively supporting ACOW with your time, talent and treasure is the best way to work toward having your expectations fulfilled.  BE THERE!
  GENERIC CERTIFICATES AND LICENSE NUMBERS

DOL reported earlier this week that good progress is being made, and that "Random License/Certificate Numbers" are on the way.  ACOW has been told that DOL "is in the final stage of implementation.  Testing has been completed and modification of forms requested."  An announcement by DOL on implementation is expected soon.

REGULATION

The next meeting of the Real Estate Appraiser Advisory Committee (REAAC) is scheduled for Friday, April 7 or 14, 2000, at 9:00 a.m., again at DOL Tacoma, 2502 East 112th Street (Tho. Bro. 834-B5).  The meeting agenda is being developed at this time.  Attending the REAAC meeting is the best possible forum to discuss your views on what the program should be expected to accomplish.  Two hours of Continuing Education Credit generally is available.  Watch for the mailing.  Better yet, verify the date at http://www.wa.gov/dol/bpd/appfront.htm for the latest info.

ACOW MEETINGS

ACOW meetings regularly are 17:00 on the Thursday after the first Tuesday of every month.  Remaining meetings during Y2K are on March 9, April 6, May 4, June 8, July 6, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 9, and December 7.

Odd-numbered months are at the Department of Assessments, Commercial Division (206-296-5144, Robin Hopkins), King County Administration Building, Room 853 (watch for signs in halls); 500 Fourth Avenue (one-way northbound).  Enter from Fifth Avenue (one-way southbound) to the Fourth Floor.  Exit I-5 at James Street, and go south on Sixth Avenue (between I-5 and the County Jail), then west down the hill to the County Parking Lot on the south side of Jefferson Street opposite the Jail, between Sixth and Fifth Avenues.  (TB=Downtown Seattle (ix)-D5, or 565-A6.)

The April 6 meeting is at the office of Market Value Systems (425-226-2855, Barry Wilson), 321 Burnett Avenue South, Suite 308, in downtown Renton (TB=656-C3).

. . . JIM IRISH

 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