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NAR COMMENTS ON RESPA WEBSITE COMPLAINT QUESTIONNAIRE
On November 7, 2006, the Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed creating an online complaint questionnaire to report potential RESPA violations. NAR responded with qualified support for the concept. NAR has led the settlement services industry in educating its members regarding their obligations under RESPA. NAR supports enforcement of RESPA and the level playing field that creates amongst settlement service providers. In keeping with this, NAR supports efforts to improve the ability of those with genuine RESPA complaints to report them to authorities. However, NAR strongly expressed the need to ensure the a web-based questionnaire be comprehensive and contain numerous safeguards to ensure that only genuine and verifiable complaints are lodged and investigated. NAR also insisted that warnings regarding the penalties for false claims be included on the questionnaire. The comment period ended January 9, 2007. There is no indication when a decision regarding the questionnaire will be made.
NEW HEALTH PLAN BILL LIKELY UNDER DEMOCRAT LEAD CONGRESS
The shift in control of both chambers of the Congress and the opposition of the new chairs of the committees with jurisdiction over the issue make it unlikely that last year’s small business health plan (SBHP) legislation supported by NAR and the small business community will be advanced. NAR and the broad-based SBHP coalition of small business trade representatives are meeting with the health staffs of the new Democratic leaders in an effort to identify alternative legislative proposals that would address the REALTORS® and other small businesses problems with health insurance access and cost.
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