Originally published on April 17, 2024, by Eric Schmutz for NAIOP.
With national and swing state polls indicating support between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump is fairly even, casual political observers could be forgiven for not realizing that House and Senate races are also tight; there could be a historic switch in the House and Senate majorities this November.
Originally published on April 3, 2024, by Aquiles Suarez for NAIOP.
On March 11, President Joe Biden submitted his FY 2025 Proposed Budget to Congress. Like the budget he proposed last year around this time, it contains a number of tax policy changes that, if enacted, would have an outsized negative impact on the commercial real estate industry. But unlike last year’s proposal, this is an election-year proposal intended as the administration’s statement on the economic agenda Biden will pursue if re-elected this November.
Originally published on March 26, 2024, by NAIOP.
Six months into the 2024 fiscal year, Congress passed a final $1.2 trillion funding agreement and President Joe Biden signed it into law. The package was approved by the House (286-134) and Senate (74-24) before going to the White House on Saturday. It will keep the federal government operating until Sept. 30, 2024.
Another successful trip to DC for the NAIOP chapter leadership and legislative retreat. Delegates from all three NAIOP NC chapters spent the week learning about NAIOP’s 2024 strategic plan and then went to work on Capitol Hill today and advocated to our Representatives in Congress about the importance and impact of CRE and the need for pro-development policies such as Adaptive Reuse.
Originally published on January 17, 2024, by Eric Schmutz for NAIOP.
Iowa Republicans held their 2024 presidential caucus on Jan. 15, and as expected, former President Donald Trump won with 51% of the votes cast. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis placed second with 21.2% and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley placed third with 19.1%. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, after receiving 7.7% of the votes, suspended his campaign and promptly endorsed Trump. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson received less than 200 votes and also suspended his campaign, but has yet to endorse another candidate.
Originally published on January 3, 2024, by Toby Burke for NAIOP.
The political battle over the presidency and the control of both chambers on Capitol Hill is expected to garner most of the attention of the national media this year. While the outcome of these campaigns will have significant implications on policy debates at the national level, they should not overshadow or minimize the important political races for control of state legislatures and gubernatorial offices across the country. The outcome of these more grassroots races in comparison to control of state capitols may be more reflective of the policies of importance to the American people.
Originally published on December 20, 2023, by Aquiles Suarez for NAIOP.
As 2023 comes to a close and we look ahead to the challenges facing commercial real estate in 2024, it is clear that persistent advocacy on the public policy front will be more important than ever to ensure that the interests of NAIOP members are protected. This is true of course at the state and local level, but it is at the federal level, where government gridlock has been most on display, that maintaining our strong advocacy will be critical.
The list is complete! Candidates who filed are competing for important seats on the County Commissions, the State Legislature, and the U.S. Congress. Click the links below to familiarize yourself with the candidates:
This is big news when it comes to the impact on growth and real estate development strategies. According to a recent article, featured in Axios Charlotte, North Carolina is receiving a 1.09 billion dollar federal grant, the largest ever received by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), toward the S-Line, a passenger rail line from Raleigh to Virginia. Additional dollars will be allocated to plan and develop rail corridors between other cities, including "high-speed" rail linking Charlotte and Atlanta. Other corridors to be studied and planned are those between the following cities:
For additional details, read the full article here:
Your future leaders are coming into view! Candidate filing for elected office opened at noon on Monday, December 4th and remains so until noon on Friday, December 15th. Candidates who decide to run will be competing in 2024 contests for positions from County Commissioner, to State Legislator, U.S. Congress, and all the way up to U.S. President. Click the links below to see who has filed so far and begin to familiarize yourself with the candidates:
Mecklenburg County Board of Elections - Candidate List
Iredell County Board of Elections - Candidate List
Cabarrus Board of Elections - Candidate List
Gaston County Board of Elections - Candidate List
Union County Board of Elections - Candidate List
Originally published on November 20, 2023, by Rob Nanfelt for REBIC.
Originally published on November 1, 2023, by Eric Schmutz for NAIOP.
Following three weeks of negotiations and squabbling, House Republicans elected Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson to serve as the 56th Speaker of the House. Unlike his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who went 15 rounds before becoming speaker in January, Johnson was the first Republican to receive unanimous support from all Republicans voting, prevailing over House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a 220 to 209 vote.
The Charlotte Observer along with Neighborhood TV and WSOC will be hosting a Huntersville mayoral forum on Friday, Oct. 20th. This year Huntersville will elect a new mayor in November to guide the town in the coming years. Incumbent Mayor Melinda Bales is not running for reelection, leaving an opening for newcomer candidates Dan Boone, Christy Clark and Derek Partee. Hear all three talk about issues facing Huntersville and answer questions at a forum discussion on Friday, Oct. 20 at 11 a.m. at Red Rocks Cafe in Birkdale Village, 8712 Lindholm Dr, Huntersville, NC 28078.
The forum will be moderated by the Observer’s local government editor Josh Bergeron and WSOC’s Joe Bruno. Submit any questions you think should be asked by sending an email to [email protected] with “Huntersville mayor” in the subject line.
Originally published on September 20, 2023, by Aquiles Suarez for NAIOP.
Usually, at this time of year, members of Congress and advocates for industry are strategizing on how best to position their tax priorities for inclusion in a year-end tax package. In many instances, success has depended on a tax title becoming part of a massive, must-pass omnibus spending bill that comes together in December, when senators and representatives desperately want to get home for the holidays.
Originally published on September 6, 2023, by Eric Schmutz for NAIOP.
Welcome to September! With temperatures starting to cool down, kids heading back to school, and football season kicking off, it’s easy to forget that the federal fiscal year ends at the end of the month. That means that there are only 11 days when both the House and the Senate are scheduled to be in session before the current federal funding authorization expires. Moreover, only one of the annual appropriations bills has passed the House and none have passed the Senate.
Originally published on September 6, 2023 by Eric Schmutz for NAIOP.
Welcome to September! With temperatures starting to cool down, kids heading back to school, and football season kicking off, it’s easy to forget that the federal fiscal year ends at the end of the month. That means that there are only 11 days when both the House and the Senate are scheduled to be in session before the current federal funding authorization expires. Moreover, only one of the annual appropriations bills has passed the House and none have passed the Senate.
Originally published on August 2, 2023, by Aquiles Suarez for NAIOP.
August has arrived, which for Capitol Hill means that Congress is in recess until sometime in September. Senators, congressional representatives and staff members scatter across the world on congressional delegation trips (so-called “codels”), and back to their home districts to meet with constituents, host fundraisers and boast about their legislative achievements. Well, perhaps all of those things are true with the exception of the last bit.
Originally published on June 21, 2023, by Aquiles Suarez for NAIOP.
Last week, House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) kicked off what is expected to be months-long congressional negotiations over tax legislation. After a markup session that lasted nearly 10 hours, the tax committee passed three pieces of legislation that will be packaged together to comprise the American Families and Jobs Act. The bills passed on a purely partisan basis, with no Democrats on the committee voting in support, and with little chance that the combined bill would pass the Democratic-controlled Senate in its current form. As such, the committee’s action is seen as House Republicans’ first step on the road to talks with their Democratic Senate counterparts, possibly culminating in a year-end, bipartisan tax package.
Originally published on May 25, 2023, by Marc Selvitelli, CAE for NAIOP.
Today the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Sackett v. EPA, a case involving the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act and the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS), and an issue on which NAIOP has been active on behalf of commercial real estate. In a victory for NAIOP members and the CRE industry, the Court ruled that the Clean Water Act extends only to wetlands that are “as a practical matter indistinguishable from waters of the United States” and that have a continuous surface connection with that water.
For many years, NAIOP has advocated for commonsense regulation to protect our nation’s wetlands that is clear, increases predictability and consistency in EPA and Army Corps of Engineers wetlands decision-making, and reduces unnecessary permitting delays. Our most recent comments on the Biden administration’s WOTUS rule reflected this approach. Today’s Supreme Court decision finally clarifies the legal test needed to determine whether a federal wetlands permit is required for a development project. This will go a long way to reducing the uncertainty and added costs of delay that were the result of the legal ambiguity that existed.
The Biden WOTUS rule had been suspended in 26 states as a result of legal challenges. Today’s Supreme Court ruling will most likely force changes to the Biden administration’s regulation to ensure its application is consistent with the decision. NAIOP members should rest assured that we will continue to work with federal policymakers as regulations governing our industry are developed.
Members from NAIOP’s three chapters are in Raleigh today to advance the priorities of the commercial real estate development industry in meetings with state lawmakers. The 2023 Legislative Priorities focus on economic development initiatives, tax measures, and regulatory reforms that meet the current and future growth within the state.
A top priority for NAIOP of North Carolina this year is local permit reform legislation that reduces inefficiencies and brings more accountability, consistency, and transparency to the process. The passage of HB 332/SB 275I will achieve this by establishing a 21-day period for a local entity to review an application. If the local permitting entity is unable to meet this timeframe, the applicant may seek approval from a third-party (engineer) or the Department of Insurance. Other elements of the bill include:
